Oklahoma maintains top NBA spot after annihilating Golden State

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After Stephen Curry scored the first basket off a cutting layup, the Golden State Warriors didn’t know that it would be the first and last time they would have any lead in the game.

In the next 47 minutes of action, the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Warriors and bagged a wire-to-wire 126-102 victory on Nov. 12, 2025, in front of a loud Paycom Center graced by 18,203 fans.

Stealing the spotlight was versatile power forward Chet Holmgren, who finished the game without a single miss from the field out of nine attempts.

Holmgren set the tone for Oklahoma after willing his way inside the shaded lane, bullying the banged-up Golden State frontcourt that missed the presence of the injured Al Horford due to a left toe injury.

When the Warriors entered a brief shooting drought midway through the first, Holmgren and the rest of the Thunder took advantage with an 11-0 burst to hold a nine-point lead, 34-25, heading into the second frame.

Oklahoma stepped on the gas pedal when the second quarter began, this time behind the savvy scoring of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who made it rain from the perimeter area.

Aside from their efficient offensive showing, Oklahoma also put the clamps on the Warriors, limiting them to their lowest-scoring quarter in the second with only 19 points.

The Thunder already blew the game wide open before the second half started, mounting an enormous 19-point advantage that Golden State never trimmed to a single-digit deficit.

Oklahoma stamped their class in the third, outscoring the Warriors by 16 points, 44-28, which forced head coach Steve Kerr to pull out Curry and Jimmy Butler when the fourth period commenced.

With a 36-point lead to chop down, Golden State threw in the white towel, opting to rest their star players as they prepare for a back-to-back schedule with a game today against the San Antonio Spurs on the road.

Holmgren capped off his perfect shooting night with 23 points in just 24 minutes of action, alongside 11 rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Meanwhile, SGA further boosted his case for another MVP trophy after tallying a double-double stat line of 28 markers, 11 dimes, five boards, and three steals.

On the other hand, Golden State only received a combined 23-point scoring effort from Curry and Butler, while Draymond Green only contributed three markers and four assists.