Over the past ten years, we have seen some very strong Thunder and Warriors teams. OKC had great success when Kevin Durrant, Russel Westbrook, and Steven Adams were playing for them. They made the finals in 2012 but lost to the Miami Heat. However, all three of them are on different teams now, and OKC is now a team built around Shai Gilgous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Chet Holmgren.
And let’s not forget about the Warriors. They have won the NBA finals four times in the last ten years: 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. KD was on the Warriors from 2016 to 2019 but then moved off to play for the Brooklyn Nets. The Warriors have also lost some valuable bench players as well. The 2022 Warriors were a great team. Jordan Poole did well that season, but he was traded away because he didn’t fit in with the current roster. Donte DiVincenzo was also a great player, especially for someone coming off the bench. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. So far this season, the Warriors have taken on many losses. But after watching the Warriors vs. Thunder game Fri, Dec 8th, 2023, it seems like the Warriors are still going to be good competitors this season.
The Warriors had a great start to the game, putting up many points. The Thunder kept it close, however, and the score was 62-56 going into the half. But things began to change after the half, and the Thunder had an amazing third quarter. They held the Warriors to just 22 points while putting up 33 that quarter. This gave OKC the lead with a score of 84-89. The Warriors then started to come back in the 4th quarter. However, the Thunder managed to catch back up and tie the score. Good defense was played until there were eight seconds left. Stephen Curry dribbled out the clock and shot a deep three to try to end the game. And…it…didn’t quite fall, bringing the game into overtime.
The two teams went back and forth at first, but the Thunder really wanted to win this game. The Thunder started to pull ahead, as they were up by at least 7 at one point. With time left on the clock, the Warriors tried to tie up the game and force a double OT. However, the Thunder played great defense and were able to take lots of time off the clock. Down by 4, with ten seconds left, the Warriors couldn’t get a shot off until the very last second. With a final score of 138-136, this was a tragic loss for the Warriors but a great win for the Thunder.
After that game, the Thunder’s record became 14 wins to 7 losses while the Warriors had a 10-win, 12-loss record. As of January 8, 2024, the Thunder are the 3rd best team in their division with a 23-win, 12-loss record. The Warriors on the other hand are 11th with 17 wins and 19 losses. The Thunder are looking very strong this year and they should be good playoff contenders if they keep up their streak. As for the Warriors, their star players are starting to grow older and the team is beginning to fall apart.
