Washington: Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry saved the season for defending NBA champion Golden State, sparking a stunning fourth-quarter rally to beat host Oklahoma City 108-101 and avoid playoff elimination.
Thompson scored a career playoff high 41 points, including an NBA one-game playoff record 11 3-pointers in 18 attempts, and NBA Most Valuable Player Curry added 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Warriors leveled the best-of-seven Western Conference final at three wins each.
The winner of Monday’s Game Seven at Oakland will advance to the NBA Finals, facing the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers when the best-of-seven championship series opens on Thursday.
But after squandering a 3-1 series lead by botching a golden chance to advance at home, the Thunder must win on a court where the Warriors lost only twice all season.
Trailing 81-89 with nine minutes remaining, the Warriors closed with a 27-12 run — 19-5 over the final seven minutes and 12-2 in the last three — in a thriller Thompson and Curry ranked among their greatest wins.
Thompson scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter for Golden State and added two more clutch 3-pointers in the period after a brief pep talk from Curry before the last quarter began.
Thunder star Kevin Durant made four turnovers in the last 99 seconds and Westbrook lost two more in the dramatic final moments.
Curry’s 3-pointer with 2:47 remaining tied the game at 99-99 and Thompson made the last of his 3-pointers with 95 seconds remaining to put them ahead.
