LOS ANGELES, United States — The Golden State Warriors withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference-leading Thunder, 116-109, on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory.
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"We just stayed solid," said Curry, who entered the contest mired in shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. "Just all-around effort."
The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the first half and were up 58-48 at the break.
But the Warriors turned it around and they went into the fourth quarter tied.
The teams traded the lead five times in the opening minutes of the final frame, Kevon Looney putting Golden State ahead for good with a pair of free-throws with 8:18 remaining.
Curry's 3-pointer put Golden State up 109-103 with 1:52 remaining. Wiggins added a 3-pointer and Gary Payton II threw down a dunk as the Warriors pulled away.
"We need every win possible," Curry said after the Warriors improved to 24-23 — knocking on the door for a play-in tournament berth.
"(We) haven't really developed anything consistent in terms of the win column. So this is a great test."
The defeat dropped the Thunder to 37-9, a hair behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for best record in the league.