OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State coach Don Nelson earned his 1,300th victory Saturday night, with Stephen Jackson scoring 26 points and Corey Maggette adding 25 in the Warriors’ 133-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nelson is just the second coach in NBA history to reach the milestone, joining good friend Lenny Wilkens, who has 1,332 career wins. The Warriors’ fifth victory in seven games was vintage Nellieball, with his Warriors reeling off their fourth 120-point game of the month to compensate for their indifferent defense and 17 turnovers.
Kevin Durant scored 32 points for the Thunder, who have lost five straight. Russell Westbrook added 31 points and 11 assists, but Oklahoma City dropped to 3-24 on the road.
Jeff Green had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Oklahoma City, but the second-year forward combined with Durant for 12 of the Thunder’s 23 turnovers. Oklahoma City has lost seven straight road games since winning 122-121 at Oakland on Jan. 21 on Green’s buzzer-beating jumper.
Neither team pulled away until late in a back-and-forth game played at the Warriors’ favored tempo. Golden State scored 21 points in the final six minutes, including an 11-2 run capped by Kelenna Azubuike’s 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put the Warriors up 125-114.
Azubuike scored nine of his 11 points in the final 4:52 after sitting out much of the first three quarters. Ronny Turiaf and Monta Ellis added 14 points apiece for the Warriors, who finished a solid five-game homestand spanning the All-Star break with four wins and a narrow loss to the NBA-leading Lakers.
Nelson probably will pass Wilkens early next season if he returns — which is more than likely, since the 68-year-old coach signed a lucrative contract extension through 2011 in late October.
But Nelson nearly got thrown out of his landmark game when he drew a technical foul for arguing a no-call late in the first quarter, leaping from his seat with animated gestures at referee Scott Wall.
Durant, the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, had little trouble against a series of Golden State defenders. But he took just two shots in the third quarter, and didn’t get rolling quickly enough in the final minutes to keep Oklahoma City close.
Thabo Sefolosha went scoreless and committed five fouls in 18 minutes during his first game for Oklahoma City since the club acquired him from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline. Malik Rose, acquired by the Thunder from New York earlier Thursday, suited up for the first time but didn’t play.
Notes: Azubuike grew up in Tulsa. … Nenad Krstic started his
third game at center for the Thunder, but played less than 14 minutes. … Oklahoma City outrebounded Golden State 44-27.
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