Thunder final score: Thunder holds off the Warriors, 119-109

Box Score

The Oklahoma City Thunder easily handled the Golden State Warriors 119-109, giving Kevin Durant his first triple double of his career with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.

For a moment it looked as if Durant wasn't going to get back on the floor to get his 10th assist, leading by over 20 with the most of the bench out on the floor. But the Golden State Warriors, led by Jarrett Jack and Harrison Barnes, cut the 24 point lead to single digits, prompting Brooks to sub Durant and Westbrook, who led the Thunder with 30 points, back in. Durant got his 10th assist midway through the fourth to finish strong.

Serge Ibaka added 16 points of his own tonight, while Kevin Martin added 23 off the Bench. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points, while David Lee added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

What is your initial reaction to tonight's result?

A mix of excitement and disappointment. While it was exciting to see a great player like Kevin Durant reach a career milestone, it looked as if we were going to get an extended look at some of the newcomers, such as Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb. But when the Warriors began the fourth quarter with their run to bring it back into single digits, any chance of developing the future stars went away.

The Thunder dominated most of the game, and besides that run, had the game comfortably in hand. We've seen the Thunder let up against a lesser opponent before, but luckily that wasn't the case tonight.

What was, overall, the main reason why the Thunder won?

The Warriors were just outmatched in tonight's game, and the Thunder's starters played nearly perfectly. The Warriors would've had to have hoped for an off-night, either with the Thunder shooting, or turning the ball over. Neither happened, allowing the Thunder to sit comfortably in the lead for much of the game.

What was a key statistic to understanding the game?

When looking at the box score, both teams seemed to have very similar games, except beyond the arch. The Thunder shot 65% from the 3 point line, compared the Warriors only shooting 31%. Half of the Thunder's 3's coming in the second quarter, allowing them to build a 13 point lead at halftime.

The Thunder only had 10 turnovers, about 7 fewer than their average, and outscored the Warriors on fast-break points, 26-12.

What does this game mean to the Thunder tonight and going forward?

The Thunder get a few days off before hosting the Clippers, a team they've had trouble with in the past. This will be the first time we get to the see the Thunder against a western conference championship contender since losing to the Grizzles. Hopefully, the Thunder have learned what happens when you let off the gas too early.

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Dara's Awards

Thunder Wonder: Kevin Durant, 25 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists.

Thunder Down Under: Serge Ibaka, 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks.

Thunder Blunder: Nick Collison, 1 point, 2 rebounds.

Thunder Plunderer: Stephen Curry, 22 points, 6 assists.

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Next game: vs the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 21 @ 6:30 PM CDT

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