The Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, climbing to fifth in the Western Conference with two more games to go in the regular season.

The Warriors did lead until 8:29 in the fourth quarter and trailed by 10 points (79-69) after the first half despite their 50-percent 3-point rate (11-for-22) in the first two quarters. The team didn't commit too many turnovers – only four – for the Thunder, which is one of the best fast break teams in the NBA this season, to exploit. In fact, the Thunder only had 11 points via transition, fewer than the Warriors' 14.

The major reason behind the Thunder's advantage in the first half is their unbelievably high field goal (FG) rate of 59.6 during these two periods. Not only did they drain eight of their triple attempts, they also managed to make a series of shots despite being fouled. If the team had shot better than 15-for-21 at the free throw line, they would have built an even bigger lead.

The Thunder capitalized well on the Warriors' over concentration on containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). Though they are not leading the league in cuttings like the Warriors, the Thunder are among the NBA's top 10 on the front this season. Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey combined to score 51 points. Moreover, though SGA faced heavy defense, he still went 7-for-10 from the field to get 21 points in the first half.

Despite the Thunder's superb shooting touch, the Warriors kept the competition alive thanks to their patience and surprising offensive contributions by their role players. Donte DiVincenzo and Moses Moody drained seven 3-pointers collectively. Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, DiVincenzo, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney combined to grab 17 offensive rebounds. Their efforts enabled the Warriors to hang in there until their opponents began to cool down.

The fourth quarter belonged to Jordan Poole, who shot 5-for-9 in FGs, including draining three triples to get 18 points for the Warriors. Most of the Thunder's defenders are agile, but not quick enough to follow Poole and his big strides. When Poole shot well from downtown, he became a more dangerous slasher who could break into the opponents' paint with a fast first step before either charging the rim directly or spinning to dodge defenders and play more tricks.

Poole's 30 points is the second-highest on the Warriors' roster, next to only Stephen Currey's 34 points. Though Curry didn't produce many highlights in the final quarter, he made six of his seven attempts to get 17 points in the second period, making sure that his steam sustained the Thunder's 40-point rally in that quarter.

Other games on Tuesday (away teams come first):

Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113 Orlando Magic

Donovan Mitchell went 15-for-23 from the field to drop 43 points for the Cavaliers at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, helping his team lock in as fourth in the Eastern Conference. Darius Garland had a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists. The result of this game also ended the playoff-play-in tournament qualification competitions in the East. All of the 10 teams for the postseason have been confirmed.

Despite the loss, the Magic have won 12 more games than they did in the 2021-2022 campaign and they still have three more games to play. Their promising rookie Paolo Banchero scored 20 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's game, getting his 13th double-double of the season, and had 20 or more points in 39 games.

Boston Celtics 101-103 Philadelphia 76ers

Having made 20 of his 25 FGs to score 52 points, 13 rebounds and six assists at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Joel Embiid gave people more reasons to vote for him in the NBA Most Valuable Player Award race. He had 10 points and three assists in the last five minutes of the final quarter, making sure that the victory stayed at home instead of leaving with the Celtics.

The Celtics rested Jaylen Brown on Tuesday night, but failed to count on Jayson Tatum to carry the team's offense as he missed 13 of his 20 FG attempts to get only 19 points. Derrick White became the best-performing Celtic on the offensive end by making four triples and scoring 26 points, 15 of which happened in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, it was not enough to save the team.

Sacramento Kings 121-103 New Orleans Pelicans

Domantas Sabonis made the Kings the seventh team that reached the winning percentage of .600 with a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday. The team still have three games to play in the regular season and remain hopeful of reaching 50 wins. The last time they did so was during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Pelicans failed to secure their third straight win, but remain eighth in the West despite the loss. They are one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers and half a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans will for sure appear in the postseason but start with the play-in tournament. The question is, how many wins do they need to reach the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors 120-100 Charlotte Hornets

Miami Heat 118-105 Detroit Pistons

Milwaukee Bucks 140-128 Washington Wizards

Minnesota Timberwolves 107-102 Brooklyn Nets

Atlanta Hawks 123-105 Chicago Bulls

Denver Nuggets 103-124 Houston Rockets

Portland Trail Blazers 109-119 Memphis Grizzlies

Los Angeles Lakers 135-133 Utah Jazz

San Antonio Spurs 94-115 Phoenix Suns