Steph Curry explodes for 49 points in 3 quarters in Thunder loss to Warriors

For the first time in a long time, the Oklahoma City Thunder game was must-watch NBA TV.

But that was because of Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry. The two-time MVP scored 49 points in just three quarters of play, bursting for 24 in the first quarter and 22 in the third as he razzled and dazzled the Warriors to a 136-97 beatdown of OKC on Saturday.

“They got it figured out, the way they play,” said wing Kenrich Williams about the Warriors as a whole.

In the Thursday matchup between the two teams, Oklahoma City was competitive for about two and a half quarters. The Warriors pulled ahead for good that night when Curry posted 17 points in the third quarter, but after the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was in rather good spirits and said that they have to tip their hat to the shots Curry and the Warriors were making with the defense around them.

That was not so much the case Saturday. This game was never close. Oklahoma City trailed by 12 after one quarter, 25 at halftime and 39 at the end of the third quarter.

Some shots Curry made were insane Steph-Curry-only shots, but Daigneault said the Thunder could have “controlled it a little bit more” by applying more pressure and making him drive.

That’s easier said than done.

“They’re a great team, especially with Steph on the floor. What he does it unbelievable. You’ve seen that today. He’s one of the greatest shooters of all time, and his movement off the ball … how they move, how they execute, I feel like that’s high-level,” said Svi Mykhailiuk, who had a team-high 17 points.

That’s been Curry this season against the Thunder. They’ve had no answers. In nine quarters vs. OKC — he played a total of 1 minute and 48 seconds in the fourth quarter over the three games — he scored 125 points on 39-for-67 (58%) shooting from the field and 28-50 (56%) from 3.

He shot 11-for-21 from 3 on Saturday, but that doesn’t even accurately describe his performance, as his final three 3-pointers were bad shots even by Curry standards as he actively pursued his 50th point. One of those misses was at the buzzer, well behind the arc.

“The pressure that he puts on you, just with how he moves and what you know he’s capable of, that’s the issue. That’s what opens everything up for them,” Daigneault said.

This is a very Curry-centric recap for a Thunder-focused article, but Kenrich Williams’ 13 points, five rebounds and five assists was not the story. Lu Dort’s 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting is not what dictated the Thunder’s successes and failures in this Saturday night game.

It was Curry, with the help of Draymond Green, who had five assists to Curry and 13 total in the game.

The Thunder’s loss put them back in sole possession of the fourth-best NBA draft lottery odds. For perhaps the first time ever, OKC fans were happy to see Curry go off.