OAKLAND , United States (AFP) — Stephen Curry scored 28 points as the Golden State Warriors roared back to life in their Western Conference finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a emphatic 118-91 victory on Wednesday.
Curry seized control of the contest with a spellbinding third-quarter points blitz as the Warriors squared the series at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s game three in Oklahoma City.
The 27-point blowout victory preserved Golden State’s remarkable season-long record of never having suffered back-to-back defeats.
Oklahoma City had stunned the reigning NBA champions and their fans at the Oracle Arena in game one on Monday, overturning a 60-47 halftime deficit to run out deserved winners.
A similarly nail-biting encounter looked on cards in the early exchanges in game two, with the Thunder always managing to stay in touch despite an error-strewn first half characterized by several turnovers.
Yet the Warriors took control in the third quarter with Curry’s devastating scoring burst propelling them into a big double-digit lead.
A technical foul from Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant had provided the impetus, gifting Curry the chance to hit four free throws to put Golden State 71-59 ahead.
That was swiftly followed by two swaggering three-pointers and an outside jumper from Curry and suddenly Golden State were 79-59 ahead.
Curry eventually was responsible for all 15 points of a 15-2 Golden State run in the third quarter and this time there was to be no fightback from the Thunder.
The Warriors had soon stretched their lead to 20 points, a margin they held as they headed into the fourth quarter 88-68 ahead.
An Andre Iguodala three-pointer early in the fourth followed by an emphatic dunk put Golden State 25 points clear at 93-68 as the Thunder reeled in the face of relentless pressure.
For Oklahoma City, Durant scored a game-high 29 points with one assist and six rebounds while the talismanic Russell Westbrook finished with 16 points and 12 points.
Yet in contrast to Monday’s all-around Thunder performance, Westbrook and Durant were the only two Oklahoma City players to score in double figures, highlighting the problems the visitors had in penetrating a determined Warriors defensive display.
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