Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: So-so Warriors take on intense Thunder

The NBA trade deadline week already bombed us with the news that Kyrie Irving is taking his talents to the Dallas Mavericks. The Irving-Doncic duo is an explosive one that can change the complexion of the league in numerous ways. Anyway, coming back to another Western Conference affair, the Golden State Warriors are going to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Warriors come into this affair after defeating the Mavericks 119:113 as Steph Curry nailed 21 points and the team took advantage of a Dallas team that was missing its ace Luka Doncic. This win broke a two-game losing streak which followed a three-game winning streak. This has been a rather disappointing season for the squad that won the championship last season and a lot of work is pending if the team is to get even closer to where they were last season. The injury to Curry can derail the campaign but Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson can take it up a notch too.

The Thunder enters the picture after defeating the Rockets 153:121 on the back of a 42 points performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They have been a bit down lately, losing two of their last three games but if we look at the overall picture, the Thunder has regularly defied expectations. For a team that has a sophomore and a rookie as two major minutes holders and a depth consisting of largely inexperienced plays, the return has been awesome. Shai will not win the MVP award but he fits that tab while he has had much more help from Giddey and others compared to earlier in the season.

The Warriors have been playing some questionable basketball this season and although their home record is amazing, they have showcased some flailing tendencies even at home. The Thunder can’t be taken lightly because they have figured out different flavors to their offense, which is no more only about Shai. However, despite missing Curry, I expect the Warriors to come on top. I predict a scoreline of 127:122 in their favor.