By BEN ROSS, AP
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry had 34 points and seven assists and the Golden State Warriors raced past the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-97 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time).
The Warriors moved into eighth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Memphis.
"I just liked that we took care of business," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I thought we played a pretty a solid game. Our defense was good. We basically took care of the ball and rebounded well."
Mychal Mulder added 25 points in just 20 minutes off the bench, making seven 3-pointers in 13 attempts. Andrew Wiggins had 18 points and seven rebounds.
Juan Toscano-Anderson and Mychal Mulder celebrate at midcourt.
"I think we were just executing well tonight offensively," Mulder said. "We've been doing a lot better job of executing plays, finding guys where they like to catch the ball, playing with pace, playing with rhythm."
Ty Jerome scored 23 points to lead the Thunder and Darius Bazley added 22. They have lost five straight and 19 of 20.
"We did a lot of good things," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "We've just got to clean up some stuff defensively, get back in transition and keep generating good looks and keep letting them fly with confidence."
The Warriors took control in the second quarter, using a 15-2 run to take a 61-49 lead. Golden State led by as many as 25.
The teams will meet again Saturday night at Chase Center.
LEE RECOVERING FROM COVID-19
Despite being vaccinated more than three weeks earlier, Warriors guard Damion Lee tested positive for COVID-19 on April 21 and has since been in the NBA's health and safety protocols. Lee said he experienced headaches, chills, congestion, soreness and brain fog, and he still hasn't regained his full appetite.
"It felt like I was hit by two cars at once every step I took," he said. "Essentially, this was just a rare breakthrough case."
Lee hasn't played since April 19 and has no timeline for a return to the court.
"Obviously, I still have protocols and hurdles that I have to clear from the medical side, but then as well, after that...it's just a matter of getting back into basketball shape."
TIP-INS
Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski missed his second straight game with a bruised knee. He remains day-to-day.
Warriors: Kelly Oubre Jr. missed his fifth straight game with a left wrist injury. He underwent an MRI on Wednesday that reconfirmed a small avulsion fracture and ligament tear. Oubre will not require surgery and will be re-evaluated late next week. ... Eric Paschall missed his 18th game with a strained hip flexor but is nearing a return. He has worked out on the court this week and could potentially play as soon as next game.
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