Warriors Force Game 7 After Dominating Fourth Quarter

Despite holding an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter and leading for most of the game, the Thunder collapsed in the final frame as the Warriors won the game 108-101 to force a game 7 on Monday night.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with an NBA playoff record 11 3-pointers as he totaled 41 points and two-time MVP Steph Curry added 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Thunder was in complete control for most of the game as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook helped pace OKC while the role players contributed nicely, but all of that fell apart in the final frame. With the Thunder holding an 83-75 lead entering the final 12 minutes, the Warriors went into full assassin mode and never looked back.

Thompson drilled contested 3-pointers on the first two possessions of the quarter to get things going for the Warriors and all of the sudden things weren’t going as smoothly for the Thunder. Despite holding off a desperate Golden State team, OKC was able to get some separation after Durant drilled a tough fading jumper to put OKC up 96-89 with 5:09 left in the game.

It felt like a comfortable lead, but apparently it wasn’t.

Thompson drained yet another 3-pointer on the ensuing possession before his MVP teammate went on another level. Curry went on to hit two huge 3-pointers over the next two minutes with his second one tying the game at 99-99.

Curry’s money ball not only tied the game, but it came after a Durant turnover and seemed to suck all the energy out of the arena as Golden State closed out the game on a 9-to-2 run.

Both Durant and Westbrook made costly turnovers down the stretch, with Westbrook tallying four in the last 1:39 of the game. To make matters worse, Oklahoma City had zero assists in the fourth quarter and shot 13 percent from behind the arc in the loss.

Durant finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in a losing effort while Westbrook nearly added a triple-double with 28 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. Serge Ibaka added 13 points but was limited to only one point in the second half. Roberson had a nice game with 11 points and eight rebounds, but was limited down the stretch due to foul trouble.

Game 7 will be on Monday night in Oracle at 8 p.m.