Billy Donovan said that he believed all the close losses would eventually pay dividends for his team. On Monday night, it did.
After trailing the majority of the game, Oklahoma City mounted a fourth-quarter come back to pick up their first road win of the season, 100-97 over the Golden State Warriors.
Trailing by 10 with three minutes remaining, Chris Paul hit a three to get it to 97-90, then on the ensuing possession, Dennis Schröder hit a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit down to four.
The Thunder closed the game on a 13-0 run, capped off by a Paul 19-foot jumper with 36 seconds left to lift Oklahoma City.
Paul scored 20 points for OKC, and Schröder came off the bench to lead the team with 22.
Oklahoma City snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday, their three previous losses coming by a combined 10 points.
Draymond Green, who Steve Kerr had expected to play against the Thunder, did not play for the third straight game with a sore heel.
OKC was without guard Hamidou Diallo, who did not make the trip after suffering a right elbow hyperextension injury in last Friday’s loss to the Lakers. Diallo will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
The Thunder stay on the West Coast, facing Portland on Wednesday night.
