The Golden State Warriors split the first two contests in their daunting three-game set against the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, but face an equally challenging matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
The Warriors downed the defending champion Boston Celtics 118-112 on the road on Wednesday night. Warriors superstar Stephen Curry reminded the NBA world of who he is with a 27-point effort in the victory. However, the Cavaliers, who have started off the season in historically great fashion, proved to be too much for Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, and company on Friday, as they handed Golden State a blowout 136-117 loss.
The Thunder present a unique upcoming challenge to the Warriors. They also have many redeeming traits that both the Celtics and Cavs possess. OKC has a deep lineup like Cleveland, and is the only team outside of the latter that has outscored their opponents by a wider margin in the league at 15.4 PPG. Much like the Celtics, the Thunder have a very lengthy and stingy defense. They're holding their opponents to an NBA-low 100.2 PPG.
Individually, the Dubs will have to be on their A-game when matched up against Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is currently averaging 26.3 PPG on 50 percent shooting from the field and has combined for 57 points in his last two outings. He and Chet Holmgren have led Oklahoma City to four wins in their last five games. Holmgren is protecting the rim at an elite level with 2.9 blocks per night.
That being said, the Warriors will lean on Curry, Buddy Hield, and Andrew Wiggins to do the heavy lifting on offense while Draymond Green continues to spearhead their defense in the frontcourt. If Golden State defeats Oklahoma City, they'll have come away from this challenging early-season test with a 2-1 record as they approach another tantalizing series of clashes against the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in the first game of the Emirates NBA Cup 2024, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in their ensuing three contests.
Tip-off for the Warriors' battle against the Thunder is scheduled for 4:00 PM PT.