The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Oakland on Thursday night to face off against the Golden State Warriors in NBA Western Conference action. The 5-2 Thunder are one of the West's most formidable teams, and the 5-3 Warriors will try to make their case for their own place among the NBA's elite. Kevin Durant and his Thunder, meanwhile, will look to bounce back after a hard-fought loss against the Clippers on Wednesday evening. Scroll down to the end of the page and hit the live stream link to catch the action when it airs at 10:30pm EST from the Oracle Arena.
Jermaine O'Neal of the Warriors told the San Jose Mercury News after Wednesday's practice that his team was due for a big win against the Thunder. "We're 0-3 against some of our 'foes' at the top of the Western Conference," he said. "So it's important to come out and have a good showing on our home court. It's time for us ... we've been there. We have to find a way to win games against teams I'm sure we're going to see in the playoffs." Other Warriors players sounded a similar note. "Going to be a big test for us," forward Harrison Barnes said. "OKC has obviously been on top for a while. It will be a chance for us to see where we are in the West. ... We're definitely trying to go out there and play well and let them know that we're here."
The Thunder lost against the Clippers 111-103 on Wednesday night in a game which saw Serge Ibaka (as well as Matt Barnes of the Clippers) ejected after getting into a skirmish in the first half. Their loss came despite the efforts of Kevin Durant - 33 points, including 15 of 17 free throws, and 10 assists - and Russell Westbrook, who had 19 points and 10 assists. ''They just beat us,'' Durant told SI after the game. ''We've got to finish the game out. No excuses, no matter who's out there. Of course we'd rather have Serge out there, but it didn't happen like that. We still had a chance to win the game.''
One thing's for certain on Thursday night: the Golden State fans are going to be going nuts. TNT NBA analyst and former Pacers star Reggie Miller told the SF Gate in a phone interview, "Golden State and the fans at Oracle remind me a lot of the Seattle Seahawks' fans. They're loyal to a fault. Even when the team was bad, they always showed up. They've always been a raucous, loud crowd. Having been in a small market for 18 years, I know how rabid those fans were in Indiana. That's exactly what you get in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are the only show in town, and their fans are loud." Click here to watch the showdown when it tips off at 10:30pm EST.
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