Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: OKC wins Game 3 by 28
Thunder 133, Warriors 105
I was expecting a better effort tonight from OKC after they were blown out of Game 2, but watching them manhandle the defending champions in this manner was something else. Racing out to a 72-47 lead at the half, the Thunder poured in an incredible 45 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, a playoff franchise record for points in a quarter. The Thunder outrebounded the Warriors 52-38 and outscored them 29-13 in fast break points, and they simply looked like they were the more desperate team tonight.
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Kevin Durant led the way with 33 points (10-of-15 FGs, 12-of-12 FTs), eight rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one 3-pointer, while Russell Westbrook had another superhuman line with 30 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one triple on 10-of-19 shooting from the field. Serge Ibaka has been a ghost for most of the postseason, but he finally showed up tonight with 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes. Unlike the previous series vs. the Spurs, Ibaka appears like the better fit over Enes Kanter in this matchup with the Warriors, so DFS owners should give him a look while his price is still low. Speaking of Kanter, he double-doubled in just 18 minutes with 10 points and 12 rebounds, but he’s been limited to minutes in the teens in all three games of the series.
There was some talk of a potential lineup change for OKC before the game which would’ve seen Andre Roberson move to the bench in favor of Dion Waiters, but coach Billy Donovan didn’t budge and both players had their best games of the series. Roberson finished with 13 points, six rebounds, one steal and three triples, while Waiters added 13 points, three assists, three boards and one trey. Steven Adams only played 18 minutes in the win, but that’s mainly because he was in pretty bad shape after Draymond Green kicked him in the groin after a layup attempt. More on that later…
As for the Warriors, they were out-hustled from the opening tip and even trailed by as many as 41 points, their largest deficit since 2012. Stephen Curry came into tonight’s game with an elbow issue, but that wasn’t a factor in the loss and he managed to score 24 points with five boards, three assists, two steals and three treys in 30 minutes. Klay Thompson’s quiet series continued with 18 points in 24 minutes, adding just one rebound, one assist and two treys on 9-of-18 shooting.
Andre Iguodala had nine points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two treys in 24 minutes, so he would’ve had a huge game if the score didn’t get so out of hand. Iggy should be treated like gold in DFS while his price is so low. Harrison Barnes wasn’t a factor with just seven points in 32 minutes, which really is a shame because he might be costing himself a lot of money as a restricted free agent this summer. The Warriors’ death lineup of Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes and Green played nearly seven minutes tonight, but they shot just 1-of-16 in that span and were outscored by 22 points. That might be the flukiest stat of the night, but it’s obviously not a trend that I’d expect to keep seeing. That’s still the deadliest 5-man lineup in the NBA.
The biggest story of the night that might even overshadow OKC’s impressive win was Draymond Green’s kick to Steven Adam’s groin area in the second quarter. Green and coach Steve Kerr both claimed after the game that the kick wasn’t on purpose and the officials only gave him a Flagrant-1 foul, but there’s a good chance that the NBA will review the incident. “I don’t know how anybody could say I did that on purpose regardless of how it looks,” Green said. “I’m sure he wants to have kids one day. I don’t want to end that on the basketball court.” That being said, a suspension could be a possibility given the NBA’s recent decision to give Dahntay Jones of the Cavaliers a one-game suspension for a similar incident. For what it’s worth, Green did say after the game that he will apologize to Adams.
Looking ahead, the Warriors have yet to lose two games in a row this season, so it will be interesting to see how they respond in Game 4 on Tuesday in OKC. Remember, a win on Tuesday would give the Warriors their home-court advantage back, so this series is far from over. However, as we learned on Sunday, this Thunder team is no joke and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook look like they’re on a mission. For coverage of the NBA playoffs in addition to fantasy basketball news and advice, click here to follow me on Twitter!
