Thunder push Warriors to the brink of elimination

OKLAHOMA CITY - The MVP didn't play anything like one. The Oklahoma City Thunder acted as if this series is theirs.

And so the defending champion Warriors, the greatest team in NBA regular-season history, are one loss away from being dethroned after being crushed again in a 118-94 loss to the Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday.

Suffering back-to-back losses for the first time all season, the Warriors trail 3-1 in the series and face elimination as the Thunder can end their season with a win in Game 5 at Oracle Arena on Wednesday.

Stephen Curry struggled throughout the game, scoring 19 points but going only 2-for-10 from 3-point range while committing six turnovers.

Draymond Green might have avoided a suspension for the game, but was ineffective while collecting six points and 11 rebounds as he was 1-for-7 from the field and committed six turnovers of his own.

The Thunder dominated.

Russell Westbrook racked up 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as he outdueled Curry and fueled Oklahoma City's fast-paced offense.

Kevin Durant added 26 points and 11 rebounds, and the Thunder's two superstars got plenty of help.

Andre Roberson and Serge Ibaka scored 17 points piece, and Oklahoma City dominated the Warriors in rebounding with a 56-40 advantage.

Klay Thompson tried to lead the Warriors back with 26 points, including 19 in the third quarter.

But the Thunder ran away from the Warriors. Ibaka hit a shot to put Oklahoma City up by 20 points in the fourth, and Westbrook's fourth 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 114-91 lead with 3:16 left.

Westbrook was 12-for-27 from the field, hitting all eight free-throw attempts. Curry, on the other hand, was 6-for-20 from the field and had more turnovers than assists as his passes and shots missed the mark.

The Thunder led 72-53 at halftime, matching their franchise record for first-half points for a second straight game.

Curry struggled on both ends of the court, scoring 15 first-half points on 4-for-14 shooting. Layups and free-throw attempts were missed.

Westbrook, meanwhile, had 21 points and nine assists by halftime. Durant was already up to 18 points by then, and Ibaka had 15.

The long-armed Thunder capitalized on 13 Warriors turnovers in the first half and Festus Ezeli's 1-for-6 free-throw shooting when he was purposely hacked.

The Thunder scored 16 straight points to take a 22-8 lead. The run was capped off by Westbrook dunking in transition after Durant stole the ball from Curry and the point guard hitting a 3-pointer following one of Green's five first-half turnovers.

The Warriors committed seven turnovers in the quarter, but also regrouped and went on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 30-26 headed into the second.

Ezeli came off the bench to relieve a foul-plagued Andrew Bogut and hit his first three shots. Harrison Barnes hit his first four shots.

But with the Warriors needing a big lift after Curry started 1-for-10 from the field and drew coach Steve Kerr's ire on an ill-advised shot in the first quarter, Thompson joined Bogut with three first-half fouls.

Then, Thompson came alive. He bounced back in a big way with 19 straight Warriors points in the third, hitting three 3-pointers to pull his team within 76-68. Back-to-back Thompson layups cut the deficit to six.

But Dion Waiters hit a 3-pointer to put Oklahoma City back up by 12. The Thunder went into the fourth leading by that much after Westbrook stole the ball from Curry at midcourt, leading to Enes Kanter's free throw.