Scoreboard
Heat 122, Nets 115
Thunder 128, Warriors 109
What went down
After losing on a buzzer-beating layup by Steph Curry in their first meeting of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder made sure there would be no doubt of the outcome in their second meeting.
The Thunder caught fire in the opening and closing quarters of the game, cruising to an easy win over the Warriors. Oklahoma City built a comfortable double-digit lead after the first period built on back-to-back triples by Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort. That was a cushion they needed against, as the veteran Warriors fought back to keep it close in the second period. OKC finished off the game strong, outsourcing Golden State 34-24 in the closing quarter.
Oklahoma City shot 59.4 percent from beyond the arc, nailing 19 of their 32 3-pointers in the win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 24 points and seven assists. Joe scored 23 off the bench, hitting all seven of his 3-point attempts.
Lighting it up from downtown San Francisco 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5ZtCMnQvrN
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 17, 2023
Big-time baller
Jimmy Butler asserted himself in their game against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored a game-high 36 points on only 19 shots to lead the Miami Heat to their seventh straight win.
Dropped 36 on 'em and made it look easy pic.twitter.com/8SkrVhwJfK
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 17, 2023
What he said
Klay Thompson is having one of the worst stretches in his entire career. He has failed to score more than 16 points and shoot more than 42 percent in their last five games. In today’s loss he only managed to score five points, missing nine out of his 10 shots.
Here’s what Steve Kerr has in mind to get Thompson out of his slump:
Steve Kerr on getting Klay Thompson out of his shooting slump:
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 17, 2023
"We weren't really able to get any space for him... We gotta try to find a way to get him some cleaner looks." pic.twitter.com/3uf9q6Yh77
Did you see that?
Chet Holmgren has been impressive in his debut season. But that boy still needs to get in the weight room.
Chet tried backing down CP3 😅 pic.twitter.com/LEc5BmLDEk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2023
Extra pass
As usual, the West is a bloodbath with 11 to 12 teams fighting for only eight playoff spots. Rising above the fray though are the defending champions, Denver Nuggets, who have predictably taken the top spot in the conference at 9-2.
Looking to challenge the Nuggets are the New Orleans Pelicans who are finally looking health enough to compete for a playoff spot this season. Even without CJ McCollum, the roster has enough young role players around a healthy Zion Williamson to make a season-defining winning run.
Can the Pelicans get a big win over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets? Or will the champs continue their dominance over all comers? Catch the game live at 9:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines.
