Thunder vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The Golden State Warriors were better than the Oklahoma City Thunder when Kevin Durant was on the latter team. They are certainly better now that No. 35 is in the Bay Area.

Durant and the Warriors overwhelmed the Thunder in the second half of Wednesday's game at Oracle Arena on the way to a 121-100 victory. Golden State handled Oklahoma City 122-96 in the first matchup this season and owns a five-game winning streak in the series after last year's Western Conference Finals showdown.

The Warriors moved to 36-6 and 20-3 at home thanks largely to a 37-22 third quarter, while Oklahoma City dropped to 1-3 in its last four games and 25-19 overall. 

Durant led the way against his former teammates with 40 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on 13-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. He finished plus-31, per ESPN.com, and was unstoppable whenever he was on the floor.

ESPN Stats & Info noted he joined some impressive company with the performance:

Stephen Curry added 24 points, eight assists and three steals, while Draymond Green chipped in with a double-double (12 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK). Klay Thompson scored 14 points and hit three of his team's 10 three-pointers, which made up for 18 Golden State turnovers. 

Russell Westbrook spearheaded Oklahoma City's attack with a triple-double of 27 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, but it wasn't all good from the star guard. He turned the ball over 10 times and shot just 8-of-23 from the field. 

The Thunder played without Steven Adams, who is dealing with a concussion, but Victor Oladipo (20 points and four steals) and Enes Kanter (22 points and nine rebounds) picked up some of the slack. Still, Oklahoma City finished with 18 turnovers, shot 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) from three-point range and couldn't keep up with Golden State's scoring.

The Warriors wasted little time setting the tone, and a Curry three made it 12-5. Durant went to the bench with two early fouls, which helped the Thunder climb within three at 16-13, but Oklahoma City's Jerami Grant committed his third foul in the first quarter.

The Warriors pushed the lead to 22-15 with an and-1 from Zaza Pachulia, but Oklahoma City responded with a 10-0 run to take the 25-22 lead. Durant returned and scored six straight points for Golden State, but the Thunder still ended the first with a 31-30 advantage.

Kanter and Oladipo each scored 10 points in the opening quarter, while Westbrook added seven points and five assists. The Thunder also slowed Golden State's early offense by forcing seven turnovers.

The turnovers continued to be an issue for the Warriors early in the second with many of the regulars on the bench. Kanter notched a steal and found Kyle Singler for a three to make it 40-33.

Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post noted the Thunder were playing well without their primary star:

However, Golden State bounced back behind Durant's excellence. He hit a three, assisted on two David West baskets and then drilled a mid-range jumper to give his team a 44-42 advantage:

The two sides settled into a back-and-forth from there in a stretch that included a missed tomahawk slam by Durant. Oklahoma City tied things at 56 by halftime after Pachulia committed a flagrant foul on Westbrook and stood over him. Westbrook hit the free throws, and Kanter's jumper evened the score.

The Warriors started the third with a 7-2 run, but Oklahoma City clawed back to tie the score at 63. That's when Durant drilled a three and Thompson connected on a jumper and three to make it 71-63 with an 8-0 burst in less than a minute:

Westbrook responded with a monster dunk, but Durant hit a three on the ensuing possession in what Royce Young of ESPN.com called an "awesome sequence" between the former teammates.

Westbrook's slam cut the deficit to 79-74, but Golden State closed the quarter with a 14-4 run to take a 93-78 lead into the fourth. Durant was efficient with 33 points on 14 field-goal attempts to that point, and the Thunder had 16 turnovers, none of which were more head-scratching than Westbrook seemingly forgetting to dribble after receiving an inbounds pass:

Golden State continued to control the proceedings in the fourth and pushed the lead to 22 at 100-78 with a Thompson three.

The Thunder closed to within 104-88 with Curry and Durant each on the bench, but the two stars returned and ended any realistic chance of a late comeback. Durant reached 40 points when he drilled an off-balance three with 4:33 remaining to make it 113-90.

Oklahoma City never threatened from there, as the Warriors improved the best record in the NBA with relative ease.

Postgame Reaction

The Warriors announced after the game West fractured his left thumb and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Green commented on the loss of West, per Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle: "He's definitely been a steadying force for us, but it's an opportunity for guys to step up."

Westbrook didn't hold back when talking about the Pachulia flagrant, per Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman: "He hit me kinda hard, but that's all right. I'm gonna get his ass back. Straight up."

Westbrook also said "nah" when asked if he and Durant are on speaking terms, per Young.

Perhaps with that in mind, Curry said, per Letourneau: "You can't deny the history of (Durant) being with OKC. … At all costs, we want to get the win."

Kerr discussed Durant's performance, per Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News: "He's probably not going to win MVP, but I don't think there's anyone who is more efficient."

What's Next?

The Warriors start a four-game road trip Friday against the Houston Rockets. They also face the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets, who were all under .500 coming into play Wednesday. Golden State has a chance to bolster its impressive record in that upcoming stretch.

The Thunder have two games left in a six-game road trip and face the Utah Jazz on Monday and New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Jazz are one of the teams Oklahoma City is battling with in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture, so a head-to-head win would improve its positioning.