Now with Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC Thunder take another crack at Golden State Warriors
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Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives against Isaiah Joe of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Paycom Centre on Nov 10.
Getty Images via AFP
SAN FRANCISCO – The Oklahoma City Thunder have a new weapon to unleash when they try to avenge a loss to the Golden State Warriors in a meeting between two Western Conference powerhouses on Nov 27 (Nov 28, Singapore time) in San Francisco.
Stephen Curry hit seven three-pointers to account for the majority of his 36 points, when the Warriors found some extra energy at the end of a five-game road trip to thump hosts Thunder 127-116 earlier in November.
Two things figure to be different about this rematch at Chase Centre.
Making his first start as a Warrior, De’Anthony Melton contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he suffered a knee injury in his next game and likely would not play again this season.
Meanwhile, the Thunder were playing their 10th of 15 consecutive games without big man Isaiah Hartenstein, a key off-season acquisition who began the season with a broken left hand.
He made his Oklahoma City debut on Nov 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers and has recorded double-doubles in a pair of Thunder wins, averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The emergence of Hartenstein is a welcome addition for the Thunder, who are currently without Chet Holmgren, out with a pelvic fracture that occurred just over five minutes into the earlier Golden State game at Paycom Centre.
“We knew as a group and the world kinda knew there was a hole in us as a team last year,” Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the need for a powerful interior force to complement the young Holmgren.
“I think Isaiah fills that hole very well. (General manager) Sam (Presti) did a good job filling it.”
Gilgeous-Alexander (65 points) and Jalen Williams (58) have joined with Hartenstein to lead the way during the two-game winning streak. They totalled only 44 points in the loss to the Warriors back on Nov 10.
Golden State enter the game saddled with their first losing streak of the season.
The Warriors blew a 17-point lead in a 104-94 loss against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov 23, then watched an 18-point advantage slip away in a 128-120 home defeat at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Nov 25.
They have not won since clinching a quarter-final berth in the NBA Cup with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov 22.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr acknowledged after the latest loss that his team could use a break, one they will get during Thanksgiving on Nov 28 before a short trip to face the Phoenix Suns on Nov 30.
“It’s just, you can feel it. You can tell we had a lot more energy a couple weeks ago, so maybe it’s just the schedule catching up to us a little bit. We know we got to find that energy again,” Kerr said.
Both teams could be without key reserves for the clash. Thunder guard Alex Caruso has already been ruled out due to an ailing hip, while Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is questionable because of an illness. REUTERS
