Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, May 18, 2016. AP
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.