The Warriors almost did it again. Almost.
After a severely undermanned Golden State squadeked out an unexpected win over the Rocketsto begin its road trip, the Warriors nearly pulled off an even bigger upset against the best team in the Western Conference and presumed title favorites.
Golden State got Kristaps Porzingis back from a six-game absence but still only suited up 10 players and still took the Thunder to the wire Saturday night in a 104-97 loss.
Shai Gilgous-Alexander sank a step-back 3 with 44 seconds left for the last of his game-high 27 points and forced a turnover on the other end of the floor to seal the game.
The Warriors never held a lead but were as close as two points with less than a minute to play, trailing 99-97 before Gilgous-Alexander’s game-sealing 3. They missed their final six shots of the game.
Porzingis played 23 minutes off the bench and scored nine points in his first action since his Warriors debut on Feb. 19 — only the second game he has played dating back to the first week of January.
The Warriors earned a nice win against the Rockets. They returned to reality against the Thunder, who became the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins.
With the state of the Warriors’ roster, it should have been the moment they entered the building.
But the score was tied at 77 more than halfway through the third quarter after Malevy Leons, one of three active two-way players, drained a 3-pointer with 4:14 left that capped a 19-4 run.
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Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
