Warriors Shock Thunder Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52 Point-The Mercury News

San Francisco-Under Warriors’ flaming 12-3 start to the season as they looked as legitimate as anyone, they beat the thunder in their building.

A hell of two months and 20 losses later they stunned the thunder at the Chase Center.

Key Warriors have maintained the belief in the current list, knowing that the team sprinting out of the gates is in there somewhere. If it was only one evening, it reappeared against the top team at the western conference.

Whether Warriors’ 116-109 win over Oklahoma City was validation that these fighters can regain their form of early season or not, it was definitely as inspired as they have had all year. The other night of a back-to-back, without Daymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga, overcame Warrior’s 52 points from superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Steph Curry fell 17 points in the second half and made key games down the stretch. Andrew Wiggins dropped 27 points, including five 3-Pointers. Kevon Looney matched his regular seasonal career mound with 18 points and Gary Payton II (15 points, nine rebounds) stamped the game with an evil slam-dunk with under a minute left.

Warriors (24-23) entered the game as a 10-point sub-dogs at home. Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP candidate, Thunder has been by far the most impressive team at the conference throughout the year.

Gilgeous-Alexander Outscorated Warriors in the first quarter of itself. He shot 7-for-8 from the field and hit six of seven bad shots. With his pinpoint handle and other world control he came to any place on the floor he wanted.

In a play, Gilgeous-Alexander Andrew Wiggins-Golden State’s best circumference of the shoes of his shoes with a crossover shook the perimeter and converted at the edge with a fine, hanging set-up.

Hot shooting from Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroder from the bench let Warriors win the six minutes of Gilgeous-Alexander Sat-17 to Ni-to start the second quarter and pull Warriors within six.

With a and-1 over Quinten post, driving-and-kick-crown and 3-pointer, Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City’s lead back up to 10. It would have been 13 on its way to the break, but Wiggins drilled a buzzer- Beating 3 from the wing.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 21-point quarter and 31-point half were both the most the most fighters have surrendered on such time frames this year. Oklahoma City won his first 17 minutes by 18 when he scored more than half of his team’s points.

Curry meanwhile had the biggest guard in the last decade had to get off the ball as he was facing frequent traps. He went 1-for-7 off the field in the first half in four points.

Kevon Looney started the second half and replaced post-as in his first career Warriors started their league-leading 28th separate start-five, but was a non-factor.

Warriors threw several double teams on Gilgeous-Alexander in the second half and forced his teammates to beat them. They also mixed in zone defense on occasional belongings. He missed three straight shots, including an air ball, in a 15-6 race to pull Warriors within one.

Night’s only MVP song came for the home of the hometown, Curry as he went towards the line halfway through the third quarter. His free throw expanded the Golden State’s race to 21-6 when Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first four shots of half. Warriors had their first lead since the opening minutes

Looney pulled an error on Gilgeous-Alexander to push off and ended twice inside. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had started, was a DNP when Kyle Anderson soaked spot-won minutes as the Small-Ball Center.

The cord changed hands four times in the third quarter. A tough start of a baseline drive from Moses Moody equalized the scoring at 84 on the way into the fourth.