In retrospect the loss in Oakland to Golden State felt as bitter as all losses to the Dubs do. This one was particularly frustrating because Russell Westbrook was relegated to the OKC Thunder bench sporting street clothes. Moreover the Warriors (other than Stephen Curry) weren’t exactly lighting Oracle up.
Still, the Thunder had at least a trio of disadvantages with Westbrook being the most pronounced. Andre Roberson is still out, and will be at least until the end of this year. While the big Kiwi, Steven Adams was dealing with back stiffness that kept him out of practice and was threatening to land him in a seat beside the Brodie and ARob in his pre-game togs.