The inaugural In-Season Tournament featured an electrifying clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder, delivering the intense playoff-level competition the NBA had hoped for.

In a thrilling Friday night showdown, Stephen Curry shone by scoring 30 points, including a game-winning layup with a mere 0.2 seconds left, propelling the Warriors to a 141-139 victory. Initially, Curry’s shot was disallowed due to an offensive goaltending call against Draymond Green. However, the call was reversed, securing the Warriors’ triumph. Green attributed the change to his accidental rim touch rather than the ball. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault concurred with this explanation.

Green commended the NBA for creating a captivating spectacle, stating, “You just saw two teams competing. We talk about this In-Season Tournament, and it’s a playoff game. It was a fun game to play, and the intensity level is there. So, job well done to the NBA for bringing this type of excitement to November, which can often be a dull period. But games like this? You can truly appreciate them.”

The crowd remained vocal throughout the game, particularly when fouls involved Green. He good-naturedly acknowledged the crowd’s penchant for targeting him, adding, “But this is a great crowd. Honestly, I love coming to play here. The crowd brings it every time. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a game here where the crowd wasn’t fully engaged. They bring it every single night, making it a fun place to play.”

Dario Saric contributed 20 points, and Chris Paul facilitated with 13 assists and no turnovers, enabling Golden State to improve to 5-1. The Warriors secured their second consecutive last-second victory, with Klay Thompson delivering a game-winner against Sacramento earlier in the week.

On the Thunder’s side, Lu Dort put up 29 points, hitting all six of his 3-point attempts, while Chet Holmgren added 24 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Josh Giddey excelled with 18 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. Notably, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s leading scorer, was sidelined with a sprained left knee.

The first quarter witnessed the Warriors sinking seven 3-pointers, granting them a 38-33 lead, with Saric contributing 11 points off the bench. Curry’s no-look lob to Gary Payton II for a dunk extended their lead to 50-44. Golden State maintained its 3-point prowess in the second quarter, heading into halftime with a 69-67 lead. However, a leaning 3-pointer by Thompson at the buzzer was ruled no good after review.

Dort then erupted with 11 points in just over four minutes to give the Thunder an 85-80 lead early in the third quarter. The Warriors staged a comeback, resulting in a 106-106 tie entering the fourth quarter. The game remained closely contested, with Oklahoma City narrowly missing out on a statement victory.

Josh Giddey expressed, “For the most part, we gave ourselves every chance to win that game. We just needed to be a little bit better down the stretch.”

Looking ahead, the Warriors will host Minnesota in the next In-Season Tournament game on November 14 and play against Cleveland on Sunday in a regular game. The Thunder, on the other hand, will face Sacramento in the next In-Season Tournament game on November 10 and host Atlanta in a regular game on Monday.