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Game Preview: Warriors at Thunder - 2/11/17

Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions

For the first time since the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors return to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on the back end of a back-to-back.

Warriors at ThunderSaturday, Feb. 115:30 p.m.Chesapeake Energy Arena

TV: ABC
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network

ON TO OKC
The Warriors look to make it two road wins in as many days when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Saturday night. This will be the third of four matchups between the two teams this season, after Golden State prevailed in each of their first two encounters, both at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Watch the action on ABC, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game on the Warriors Radio Network.

LAST TIME OUT
Draymond Green became the first player in NBA history to post a triple-double with less than 10 points in Friday’s 122-107 win in Memphis. Full Recap

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE

GSW
45-8
1st in West
118.3 PPG (1st)
44.9 RPG (6th)
31.2 APG (1st)

OKC
31-23
7th in West
105.7 PPG (14th)
46.2 RPG (3rd)
21.1 APG (23rd)

PROJECTED STARTERS

GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and JaVale McGee

OKC: Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson, Domantas Sabonis and Steven Adams

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES

GSW: Zaza Pachulia (right rotator cuff strain) and David West (non-displaced fracture, left thumb) are out. Team Notes

OKC: Enes Kanter (fractured right elbow) is out. Team Notes

FOND MEMORIES
The last time the Warriors were in Oklahoma City, Klay Thompson made 11 3-pointers to preserve the Dubs season. That season-saving 41-point performance came in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals, a series the Dubs would ultimately win on the way to their second straight appearance in the NBA Finals. Fast forward to today and Thompson seems to have the hot hand once again. He has led the Dubs in scoring in each of the last two games, during which he has connected on 14 3-pointers. Thompson leads the NBA in catch-and-shoot scoring, and with the amount of playmakers and scorers the Dubs possess, not to mention his stellar marksmanship, it’s easy to see why.

TEAM LEADERS

GSW
PTS: Durant (25.7)
REB: Durant (8.4)
AST: Green (7.3)

OKC
PTS: Westbrook (30.9)
REB: Westbrook (10.5)
AST: Westbrook (10.2)

OKLAHOMA CITY SCOUTING REPORT
Some part of the schedule. On Thursday, the Thunder outlasted the 2016 NBA Champion Cavs in a nationally televised game. Up next is another 2016 NBA Finals team in another nationally televised game. Heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Dubs, Oklahoma City has won three of their last four games. And it’s no secret of how they get it done: get the ball to Russell Westbrook and let him make plays. The wildly athletic guard is averaging a triple-double this season and is on the short list of MVP candidates. But in two games against the Dubs, Westbrook has seen mixed results. The Warriors have held him to more than seven points below his scoring average, and they have limited him to 32 percent shooting. There’s no doubt that Westbrook and his Thunder teammates will be fired up for this one, and the Warriors will need to match that intensity as they seek their second win in as many days.