Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

Why should you be glad that the NBA game is not 49 minutes long?

Because if it was, the Warriors may have caught up to the Thunder and won the game. Never have I seen such triumph by a team in the first, and such a collapse of the same team in the fourth quarter. The Thunder had a huge run in the first quarter, taking a 28-9 advantage.

But the Warriors refused to give in. The cut the lead to around 15, and kept it at that pace until the end of the second, where they made quick run, cutting the lead to 12. The third and fourth quarters were a bunch of back and forth, hampered by some ugly shots, bad bounces at the rim, and continuous turnovers.

But the fourth was showtime, and the beginning of some serious concern from Thunder fans. After the Thunder got their lead up to a maximum of 21, the Warriors slowly chipped away at their lead. the warriors weren't playing excellent offense, but they were forcing a lot of defensive turnovers, making a lot of layups, getting to the line, and watching the Thunder miss free throws. Before the Thunder knew it, the Warriors had pulled to within three on on a Monta Ellis 3-Pointer with 23.7 seconds to go. Fortunately for the Thunder, the run ended there, as the Thunder made clutch free throws, and the Warriors couldn't hit a three. 

Below: Awards!

I've got an essay due tomorrow, so I'll just throw you some awards and leave it at that. The Thunder just need to put better defense on Curry and Lee, and avoid fourth quarter collapses. We'll see the Warriors again on February 13th on the road, but they'll likely have imploded by then.

Thunder Wonder: Kevin Durant, 28 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Blocks

Thunder Down Under: Serge Ibaka, 19 Points, 8 Rebounds, 3 Blocks

Thunder Blunder: Thabo Sefolosha, for failing to slow down Monta Ellis.

Thunder Plunderer: Monta Ellis, 29 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Steals.

Next Game: At The Chicago Bulls, Monday, December 6th, 7 PM Central Standard Time.