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The Golden State Warriors took it to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, winning 136-97 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. Steph Curry dominated with 49 points, the team set a franchise record for threes made, and they held onto the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
That’s all that matters. But as long as we’re here, let’s see how they did with their pregame keys to victory, by revisiting my preview.
Get out early
The key: Take a first quarter lead and don’t look back.
The outcome: It was a close game for the first four or so minutes, and then the Dubs found second gear and took off. They led 18-11, withstood a mini run by the Thunder, and pushed the lead to 12 when the quarter ended. Rather than give it back in the second half, they push it to 25 at halftime. Just for good measure, they made it a 39-point lead after three quarters.
Get in front and stay there. A solid strategy.
Grading the key: 9.5 out of 10.
Be disciplined
The key: Play with discipline — avoid turnovers and fouls.
The outcome: The Warriors turned the ball over 18 times, which isn’t particularly good. They committed 19 fouls, which is better than average for them.
The turnover number isn’t particularly bad when you consider how fast-paced the game was, and how well the offense performed. You’d love to see them limit turnovers better, but it wasn’t particularly a sign of undisciplined play. An area to improve, to be sure, but not a glaring weakness on this night, the way it is on many nights for Golden State.
Grading the key: 6.5 out of 10.
Chef Curry
The key: Steph Curry. That’s it, that’s the key.
The outcome: Oh hey, I look smart with that one.
Here’s Curry’s final line: 29 minutes, 49 points, 14-for-26 shooting, 11-for-21 from deep, 10-for-10 on free throws, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +31.
Curry has looked like the best player in the world on many occasions this season, and that was very much the case on Saturday. Admittedly the Thunder are a horrible team, but when Curry plays like that, no opponent will ever feel comfortable.
Grading the key: 10 out of 10.
Good job scoring more points than the other team, Dubs.