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  Thunder stun Warriors yet again

Thunder stun Warriors yet again

AFP
Published : May 24, 2016, 6:02 am IST
Updated : May 24, 2016, 6:02 am IST

Oklahoma City Thunder players tussle near the basket with their opponents from Golden State Warriors in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, USA, on Sunday. The Thunder won 133-105. (Photo: AFP)

Oklahoma City Thunder players tussle near the basket with their opponents from Golden State Warriors in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, USA, on Sunday. The Thunder won 133-105. (Photo: AFP)

Behind 33 points from Kevin Durant and 30 by Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder humbled defending NBA champion Golden State 133-105 Sunday to seize the lead in their playoff series.

The Thunder grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals and captured momentum with the lopsided blowout, making Tuesday’s fourth game at Oklahoma City crucial for both clubs.

Golden State, who set an NBA record with 73 regular-season wins, have not lost two games in a row all season but will have to quickly bounce back from an embarassment.

Either the Thunder, who have won 10 best-of-seven series in a row when going up 2-1, or the Warriors will face the Eastern Conference winners, the Toronto Raptors or Cleveland Cavaliers, in next month’s NBA Finals.

In addition to sparking the highest-scoring performance by any team in any NBA playoff game this year, Westbrook and Durant each added eight rebounds and blocked two shots while Westbrook also contributed 12 assists.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 24 points and Klay Thompson added 18, but Curry hit only 7-of-17 shots from the floor, Thompson shot 8-of-19 and Draymond Green was 1-of-9. The Warriors were also outrebounded 52-38.

Durant scored 23 in the first half while Westbrook added 16 as the Thunder leaped ahead in the second quarter and piled on more punishment in the second half, stretching the lead to 117-80 after three quarters and went on to match a club playoff scoring record.

The Thunder closed the second quarter on a 32-7 run to seize a 72-47 half-time edge, aided by the Warriors missing an incredible 21 of their last 23 first-half shots from the floor.

Location: United States, Washington