Warriors vs. Thunder: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled within one win of knocking off the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors with a dominant 118-94 victory on Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Oklahoma City is now up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals against its record-setting 73-win adversary.

The hosts picked up where they left off from a 133-105 romp in Game 3 on Sunday, racing to a 22-8 lead thanks to a 16-0 first-quarter run. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, not typically known for his long-range shooting prowess, capped that sequence with a three:

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Though Golden State cut into that lead briefly, OKC overwhelmed the Warriors in the opening half en route to a 72-53 lead at the break. Westbrook—who finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists—even answered a Stephen Curry three with one of his own for the final points of the second quarter.

As BasketballInsiders.com’s Tommy Beer noted, Westbrook’s 30-point triple-double was the first of its kind in the Western Conference Finals since Charles Barkley’s in 1993.

Per the Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater, Oklahoma City became the first team since the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers to score 72 or more points in the first half in consecutive playoff games.

The Thunder defense was also impressive as it complemented the offense’s fireworks. Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News detailed how Oklahoma City neutralized the explosive Warriors:

Curry isn’t near his best + OKC’s length and speed is bottling up everything. https://t.co/NyH6plaFvU

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 25, 2016

Westbrook had 21 points and nine assists in the first half alone, while Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka chipped in …

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