SAN FRANCISCO — Surrender or go to war.
Those were Golden State's only options when it jogged out of tunnel after halftime. It trailed OKC by 19 points on a night when it was without Stephen Curry (left quadriceps contusion), and Jimmy Butler was also ruled out for the second half due to a sore left knee.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd yet it should come as no surprise which option the Warriors chose. They fought back by sacrificing their bodies for loose balls, battling on the boards for extra opportunities and attacking with waves of 3-pointers.
But wars often come down to which side has the biggest weapon, and none are larger than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The superstar guard was lethal, scoring 38 points in 36 minutes to help the Thunder earn a 124-112 win.
OKC (21-1) is on a 13-game winning streak. It'll now return home for a game against Dallas at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
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Dec 2, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) makes a shot over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn ImagesJalen Williams was present in the moment
Jalen Williams admitted it was hard not to look ahead of Tuesday.
His mind naturally traveled 45 miles south of the bay to Santa Clara, where his No. 24 jersey is set to be retired Wednesday. It's an honor only seven other Broncos men's basketball alums have received.
But when the ball tipped off Tuesday, Williams' mind returned to where his feet are. And the only time it traveled south was when it told him to get downhill, like it did on OKC's opening possession. He drove into the lane, pulled up and drilled an 8-footer over his defender.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWilliams continued to be present in the moment, as he played within the flow of the game. He attacked when he saw an open lane. He swung the ball when he saw an open teammate. He flew around the floor on defense, providing help when he saw fit.
Williams finished with 22 points, six assists, one steal and one block. It's another well-rounded performance for the All-NBA forward, who's three games into his return from a nagging right shooting wrist injury.
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Chet Holmgren came up big
Will Richard held both hands up in the air as Chet Holmgren placed a left shoulder into his chest.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-foot-3 rookie did all he could to make up for the size mismatch against Holmgren, who's 7-foot-1. But even with his arms stretched to their limits, they weren't higher than the top of Holmgren's head.
There wasn't anything left to do but hope Holmgren missed, which he didn't. OKC's star big man spun and sank a 7-footer over Richard with ease, giving his team a 72-57 lead with 7:31 left in the third quarter.
Holmgren continued to come up big against a Golden State team that opted to run 6-6 forward Draymond Green at the five. He racked up 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC are battle tested
OKC is now 9-1 this season in clutch games, which is defined by the NBA as the score being within five points during the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGilgeous-Alexander also continues to rise to those occasions. He entered the game with the most total clutch points (80) in the NBA this season on 52.4% shooting from the field.
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded seven points and one assist on 3-for-4 shooting from the field (75%) in the final five minutes of Tuesday's contest.
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Tip-ins
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 94 consecutive regular-season games, which is the second-longest streak in NBA history. He only trails Wilt Chamberlain (126 games).
OKC was without Lu Dort (right adductor strain), Alex Caruso (right quad soreness), Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus calf strain), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgery recovery) and Nikola Topić (surgery recovery).
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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Thunder vs. Mavericks
TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Friday at Paycom Center (Prime Video)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: SGA, Thunder survive Warriors for 13th straight win, 21-1 record
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