Getty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors.
Andre Iguodala warned Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after dissing Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Instagram.
“I love the competitive spirit but he might just have woken up a sleeping giant,” Iguodala said on his “Point Forward” podcast, reacting to Gilgeous-Alexander’s post.
Gilgeous-Alexander posted several clips of him scoring against Curry, including a nasty crossover, with the caption: “I was feeling like e-40 in the Bay, so I had to go dumb.”
Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 points on Curry and the Warriors in their 130-123 overtime win on Saturday, November 18. It was the Thunder’s second straight win over the Warriors, securing their season series.
“I am interested to see like the next five games for the Warriors. I am gonna pay close attention to that,” Iguodala added.
Saturday night’s loss to the Thunder also marked the Warriors’ sixth straight, a season-high, and their first five-game losing skid at home under Steve Kerr.
They snapped out of skid on Monday, November, 20 with Curry scoring 32 points on 5-of-9 3-pointers to beat the Houston Rockets 121-115.
Before this season, the Thunder have lost nine of their last 10 games to the Warriors.
Chris Paul’s Quarterback Comparisons
Chris Paul compared his situation with the Warriors to that of football greats Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning having elite receivers.
Those “elite receivers” in his case are Curry and Klay Thompson.
“If you think about Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning-type quarterbacks who got these elite receivers, for me, it’s so fun,” Paul told reporters after the Warriors’ 121-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday. “Bringing the ball up the court knowing you got Klay [Thompson], Steph [Curry], you know what I mean? Like some of the passes I’m throwing to [them]. You’re throwing it before they even get there and they catch it and they shoot and they still make it.”
Paul started anew in Draymond Green’s absence. He had 15 points and 12 assists against only one turnover against the Rockets. He helped Thompson get out of his scoring slump, assisting five of his seven field goals.
Of Paul’s 115 assists so far this season, 43 went to the Splash Brothers. Thompson tops the list of Paul’s assist recipients with 24. Dario Saric, Paul’s pick-and-roll and pop partner in the second unit is second with 21. Curry has gotten 19 assists from Paul, per NBA.com’s tracker.
Klay Thompson Breaks Out: ‘I’m Not Restless’
Thompson scored a season-high 20 points on 5-of-9 3-pointers against the Rockets, his first 20-point game of the season.
After his breakout performance, Thompson maintained his confidence never wavered during the slump that saw him string five games of shooting under 42%.
“I’m not restless,” Thompson told reporters. “I mean, I’m just being myself and I’d have full, full confidence in my ability to have a great season.”
“Although I’ve not shot the ball to my standards, that’s fine. The season is long, you can’t get discouraged. I know that better than anybody. And I try to take Steve’s advice because he’s seen it all. So for me, it’s just about enjoying this run, having fun.”