OAKLAND, Calif. _ A Russell Westbrook fumble led to a Stephen Curry steal that led to a Kevin Durant 3 _ his sixth of the first half. Durant hop-stepped down the court and screamed in celebration. Oracle rose. Durant grinned. His former team, unable to contain their former captain, appeared defeated.
Durant ripped the franchise's heart out four months ago. In a Thursday night first half flurry, if they'd somehow forgotten, Durant reminded the Thunder of the hole he'd left in the cruelest of ways. He punished mismatches in the post. He flew around defensively. Then he erupted from the perimeter, uncoiling that 7-foot frame from 25 feet and beyond and lasering through 3s from an unblockable, unimaginable height.
The final: Warriors 122, Thunder 96, a blowout win Durant had already wrapped up late in the second quarter.
Russell Westbrook arrived to the arena pregame in a photography vest, the latest in his long, strange line of wardrobe choices. This one seemed to be attached to a message. One of Durant's newest hobbies is photography. He shot the Super Bowl in Santa Clara last February. Westbrook knows this. And you can bet the subliminal message got to Durant, who seemed to take it personal.
But early on, Durant was quiet. He hit a 3 on the first possession and then disappeared for the next 10 minutes. The Thunder burst out to an early double-digit lead, highlighted when reserve forward Jerami Grant dunked on Durant and then got in his face.
Moments later, Durant awoke, closing the final 2:42 of the first quarter with two 3s, a mid-post jumper and an and-1 reverse layup on Grant, in which he landed and yelled in Grant's face.
His hot streak carried over into the second quarter, when the Warriors took over on both ends. Durant played well in the team's first few games, but hadn't shot well from deep, going 3-of-13 overall from 3.
In the second quarter alone, Durant nailed four 3s. He scored 17 points. The Warriors scored 37. The Thunder only scored 11. The game was essentially sealed.
But drama remained. Durant got into a late first half shouting match with Enes Kanter, who continually roasted his former teammate on the internet throughout the summer, including memes of a cupcake and insinuation that he was a traitor.
There were nice moments, too. Durant said hello to some of his longtime teammates pregame, including Nick Collison and Anthony Morrow. He shared a nice greeting with assistant coach Mo Cheeks and longtime Thunder public relations staffer Matt Tumbleson. These were people he'd shared so many memories with over the years.
But in the lead up to the game, all anyone seemed to care about was how Durant and Westbrook would interact. They reportedly attended chapel together pregame. But right before tip-off, neither acknowledged each other.
During the game, each traded highlight blocks. Westbrook got Durant first with a come-from-behind spike while Durant rose from about five feet out. A few possessions later, Durant swooped over in help defense to reject a Westbrook layup out of bounds. As the ball landed in the crowd, Draymond Green _ never one to avoid a dramatic situation _ roared at Westbrook. He was nailed with his second technical of the season.
Beyond the interpersonal communication, the second half lacked competitive drama. The Warriors pushed their lead beyond 30. Durant continued his onslaught, ending the third quarter with a smooth drive and ferocious one-hand dunk in traffic, landing and shaking himself in celebration as the Thunder bench, 30 feet away, looked on.
The dunk put Golden State up 28. So you figured Durant's night was done. But Kerr kept him out there to start the fourth quarter, potentially to complete his statement of a night. Durant did, swatting the layup of reserve point guard Semaj Christon and then, a possession later, driving by rookie Domantas Sabonis and stuffing in a left-handed slam.
After the game, on the court, Durant didn't have any interactions with anyone on the Thunder except for assistant coach Royal Ivey, one of his best friends.
His final line in 30 minutes: 39 points, seven rebounds, 15-of-24 shooting, 7-of-11 from 3 and a career 1-0 record against the Thunder.
