Nick Young capped a 14-point flurry with a pair of 3-pointers late in the third quarter Saturday night, helping the Golden State Warriors pull away from the Oklahoma City Thunder en route to a 112-80 romp in a nationally televised showcase game in Oakland, Calif.
The win was the Warriors' first in three tries against the Thunder this season. Oklahoma City was attempting to become the first team in the Steve Kerr coaching era to beat Golden State three straight times in the same season.
Kevin Durant had a game-high 28 points and Stephen Curry 21 for Golden State, which never led in a 125-105 home shellacking at the hands of the Thunder when the teams last met on Feb. 6.
A 3-pointer by Carmelo Anthony put the Thunder up by two early in the third quarter, and a Paul George 3-pointer gave the visitors a 59-56 advantage with 7:52 remaining in the period before the game turned in Golden State's favor.
The Warriors led 70-66 before their decisive 14-0 burst, which began with 3- and two-point hoops by Durant.
Andre Iguodala also buried a 3-pointer in the run, before Young blew the game open to 84-66 with his consecutive 3-pointers in the final 51.4 seconds of the quarter.
The Thunder, who were completing a three-day, two-game Northern California swing, never threatened in the fourth quarter. They finished with a season-low point total.
The feisty matchup produced four technical fouls -- one apiece on Durant, Anthony, George and Draymond Green.
Green's technical was his league-leading 15th of the season. His next in the regular season would result in a mandatory one-game suspension.
Green's night also featured his 2,000th career assist, making him the 11th Warrior ever to reach the milestone. He finished with a game-high eight assists to complement 10 points.
Durant's 28 points came on 10-for-20 shooting, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Curry buried five 3-pointers to account for a majority of his 21 points. He also found time for a team-high nine rebounds.
Young (four 3-pointers, 16 points) and Klay Thompson (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Warriors, who improved their record to just 7-6 against Northwest Division competition. They are 39-8 against the rest of the league.
Russell Westbrook, who sat out the fourth quarter, led Oklahoma City with 15 points. He completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, and also led the Thunder in assists with seven.
Anthony and Steven Adams added 14 points apiece and Raymond Felton had 11 for the Thunder, who get another chance to clinch their first season-series win over the Warriors since 2014 when the clubs meet one final time at Oklahoma City on April 3.
The Thunder shot just 33.0 percent. George went just 1-for-14 and totaled only five points.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
