After closing the final road swing of the 2020-21 campaign with a split against the New Orleans Pelicans in a back-to-back, the Golden State Warriors returned to Chase Center for a six-game homestand to end the season.
Golden State opened the contest with a seven-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Steph Curry’s 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field helped charge the Warriors in a much-needed wire-to-wire victory over the Thunder.
However, the Warriors aren’t done with the Thunder yet. Lu Dort, Theo Maledon and Darius Bazley will meet the Warriors for a rematch at Chase Center on Saturday evening.
Mychal Mulder
With a trio of Golden State’s second unit sidelined with injury, Mychal Mulder has continued to step up off the bench. On Thursday, Mulder tallied 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor in 20 minutes. The sharpshooter got hot from long distance, drilling seven triples on 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
Mulder has notched double-figures in scoring six of his last eight games for the Warriors, including a career-best 26 point effort against the Dallas Mavericks.
During the stretch run to the playoffs, Mulder’s shooting off the bench will be a valuable asset in Golden State’s rotation.
Playoff Picture
With the Memphis Grizzlies falling to the Detroit Pistons, the Warriors had the opportunity to pick up a game at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. Following their much-needed victory over the Thunder, the Warriors moved into No. 8 seed in the race to the play-in tournament.
On Saturday, the Warriors will welcome the Thunder back to Chase Center for the second part of a two-game series while the Grizzlies will travel to meet the Toronto Raptors.
Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter:
Warriors just beat the Thunder at home. Grizzlies lost in Detroit earlier. The eighth seed (and last spot on the better side of the play-in bracket) has become the target for GSW. This was a nice night for them in that chase.
8. Warriors: 34-33
9. Grizzlies: 33-33— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 7, 2021
Highlight of the night
While Curry recorded another 30 point plus performance, it was Juan Toscano-Anderson who provided the highlight of the night on Thursday. During the second quarter, the Oakland native soared past Oklahoma City’s defensive for an explosive rim-rocking slam-dunk.
Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:
OK JUAN 😤 pic.twitter.com/ih3RlUD522
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 7, 2021
Toscano-Anderson finished the contest with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with nine rebounds and eight assists in 32 minutes off the bench.
