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Steph Kerry and Raymond Green Celebrate (Reuters)
Two early games opened tonight (Sunday to Monday) the Sunday games in the best basketball league in the world. In the centers between them Golden State proved to Utah that when you get to the Bay Area no balance helps, certainly not on Steph Kerry’s birthday. In the earlier and less attractive game, Oklahoma City defeated Memphis.
Golden State (19:20) – Utah (10:28) 119: 131
The Warriors stopped a streak of four losses with a big home win over the team with the best balance in the league, much thanks to Steph Kerry, who starred with 32 points on 50 percent from the field and 6 of 9 from three, adding 9 assists, on his 33rd birthday. But he was not alone – Andrew Wiggins scored 28 points on 75 percent from the field and Raymond Green recorded a triple-double of 11 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds. These three and their teammates overcame a monstrous game from Rudy Gover who scored 24 points and dropped no less than 28 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell also scored 24 points for the loser.
Golden State trailed only once – 11: 9 after 5 minutes of play, and responded with a 0:15 run that put it 13 points ahead. From that moment the hosts did not lose the advantage, and although Utah came closer in the last quarter and narrowed the gap to just a point, the Warriors managed to escape again on the way to a victory that put them on a positive balance.
Oklahoma City (22:17) – Memphis (18:17) 122: 128
In Oklahoma City there was a tighter game and throughout the first half neither team opened a gap of more than 8 points. Memphis went down to the half with a 7-point lead and in the third quarter went up to a 12-point lead, an advantage it returned to lead early in the fourth quarter as well. But then the Thunder ran 13:36, led by Shea Gilgos-Alexander, who finished with 30 points, and Canrich Williams, who finished with 17. Ja Morant stood out as usual in Memphis with 22 points and seven assists.
