Warriors beat Thunder 112-102

OKLAHOMA CITY(AP) Andris Biedrins helped the Golden State Warriors forget they were a struggling, short-handed squad.Playing
without two of their top scorers, Biedrins had 17 points and 21
rebounds as the Warriors ended a nine-game skid with a 112-102 victory
over the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night."We didn't
win the world championship but it sure felt like it,'' Warriors coach
Don Nelson said. "We just found a way. We just needed something to
break this spell.''Kevin Durant scored a season-high 41 and
almost brought the Thunder all the way back from a 21-point
fourth-quarter deficit, but Oklahoma City ended up losing its fourth
straight and dropping to 2-20.Stephen Jackson (20.1 points per
game) and Corey Maggette (19.1) sat out with injuries but it didn't
slow the Warriors. Jamal Crawford scored 19 points, and Brandan Wright
and Anthony Morrow each had 15 as Golden State (6-15) shot 50.6 percent
from the field."This was a really important game,'' Biedrins said. "Everybody had fun, everybody was sharing the ball like we're supposed to.''The
Warriors, coming off a 35-point loss to San Antonio on Saturday,
started quickly against the Thunder. They had an eight-point lead after
four minutes and built the lead to 27-17 behind five straight points
from Wright. Golden State shot 72 percent in the quarter (13-of-18).Oklahoma
City's struggles at both ends of the floor continued in the second
quarter when Golden State outscored the Thunder 18-5 in the first 6 1/2
minutes to go ahead 47-28. Biedrins' work on the boards helped limit
the Thunder to one shot on most possessions and the Warriors
consistently got the ball in close for easy baskets.Coach Scott
Brooks burned two timeouts three minutes apart to try to slow the
Warriors but it didn't work. A tip-in and a drive by Biedrins later in
the quarter pushed the lead to 21, the team's biggest of the season,
and the margin was 19 at halftime.Golden State led by 18 after
three and by 21 early in the fourth period before Durant led them back.
He scored 19 in the quarter, including a 3-pointer that made it 104-99
with 39 seconds left. Another 3 six seconds later got the Thunder to
105-102, but free throws by Morrow sealed it for Golden State."In
this league, when you get down by 20 it's hard to come back,'' Durant
said. "We made a run at them late but we fell just a little bit short.''Desmond Mason had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.Notes:
Jackson missed the game because of a sprained left hand. Maggette had a
strained right hamstring. ... The victory bumped Golden State to 3-10
on the road. ... The Warriors had their third-best shooting percentage
of the season.