Grades: OKC Thunder start hot, get cold in loss to Golden State

OKC Thunder looked as good as they have all season but it still wasn’t enough to stop Steph Curry and the Warriors

After a rough start to the season, the OKC Thunder needed something to feel good about. Although they didn’t capture their first win of the season tonight against the visiting Warriors, the young Thunder should hang their hats on their effort.

In a game where OKC was a definitive underdog, the Thunder roared out to an early lead spurred by youngster Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and mainstay Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Both used efficiency and poise to give their team an early lead in this contest.

The Thunder as a unit came out great. They started the game with 7 three-point makes from 7 different players, the kind of versatility this team is trying to build towards. This fact and the positive energy from the get-go lead OKC to a surprising 11 point halftime advantage.

But as the age-old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Warriors woke up at halftime and punched back in the third period against the young OKC Thunder. Golden State outscored new age Thunder U by a 33-17 margin in the period to take their first lead of the game going into the final frame.

Steph Curry is always the head of the snake when playing the Dubs, but it was his supporting cast that really bit the Thunder on this night. Players like Damion Lee and Andrew Wiggins played well and hit timely shot after timely shot to bring their team back into the lead.

Unfortunately for OKC, the momentum of Golden State’s comeback was too much to overcome. The result, a disappointing loss, which is now the young squad’s fourth straight to start this young season.

Let’s hope they can build from this as the season goes forward. On to player grades.