Kevin Durant’s jump shot bounced off the rim with 1:17 left in a one-point game.
Soon thereafter, with the Warriors trailing by three, Klay Thompson drove to the basket and missed a twisting, reverse layup.
Oklahoma City led the NBA in rebounding this season, and it showed in the second half of Monday night’s 108-102 victory at Oracle Arena.
The Thunder outrebounded the Warriors 30-19 after intermission, including the key plays highlighted above.
The final disparity tilted modestly in OKC’s favor (52-44), but the second half illustrated the challenge for the Warriors in these Western Conference finals.
Thompson and Stephen Curry need the ball to drain three-point shots, and the Thunder make it difficult to get the ball.
Each member of OKC’s starting front line — Durant, Ibaka and center Steven Adams — grabbed at least 10 rebounds.
When you have that mix of guards and bigs rebounding, that’s what allows you to be the best rebounding team in the league.
Remember the Warriors-Thunder game on Feb. 27, when Curry sank 12 three-point shots?
“We were battling, and maybe some of the balls that bounced our way in the first half didn’t in the second,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
