OKLAHOMA CITY -- For much of the season, the Warriors have struggled to find a defensive identity as they fight through the rigors that come with chasing a third consecutive NBA title.
Lapses have persisted in recent games, lowlighted by a home stretch in which they gave up more than 115 points per game and lost to the Phoenix Suns, the worst team in the Western Conference, less than a week ago.
Now, after a win Wednesday night in Houston, the Warriors have seemed to reach back into their championship bag of tricks, producing their best defensive performance of the season in Saturday night's defining win over the Thunder.
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SIGN UP HERE "100 percent," said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who finished with nine points, eight rebounds and six assists in the 110-88 victory. "The defensive performance by everyone, everyone was locked in on that side of the ball. It was really good to put an effort.
In a performance the Warriors have seemingly waited for, the team dominated Oklahoma City. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, mostly guarded by Klay Thompson, shot just 2 of 16 from the field, and Paul George, an NBA MVP candidate, hit just nine of his game-high 25 shots. The Thunder missed 10 of their first 13 shots as the Warriors hounded them to just 32.3 percent from the field.
The defensive output is just the latest positive sign for a unit ranked 14th in the league. In the first half of Wednesday's win over the Rockets, the Warriors held Houston to just 26.7 percent shooting from 3-point range.
This season, the Warriors are giving up 111.8 points per contest, letting opponents shoot 35 percent from 3-point range. However, in the last two games, they've held their foes to 96 points and 29 percent from beyond the arc, posting a 98.5 defensive rating.
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The source of their improved play can be traced to that 115-111 loss to the Suns, who are ranked near the bottom of the league in every offensive category but outshot, outrebounded and outplayed the Warriors. Since the defeat, which dropped Golden State to 4-5 since the All-Star break, many around the team can sense a change in demeanor.
"Everybody's been locked in," Green said. "You see a different fire in the coaching staff's eyes, a different focus in their eyes, you see a different focus and fire in our player's eyes, and that's important."
Added Warriors coach Steve Kerr: "The loss to Phoenix opened our eyes a little bit, and the guys felt threatened on the road."
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Last season, Golden State logged its way to a 7-10 record to close the season, capped by an embarrassing 119-79 loss to Utah. Four days later, the Warriors became the best defensive unit among playoff teams on the road to a second consecutive title.
If any team knows how to find an extra gear, it's this iteration of the Warriors. And the way they see it, now is as good a time as ever to bring the defensive effort needed to claim a three-peat.
"It's coming at the right time," Green said. "To expect this team to do it in game 10 or 20, you want to, but sometimes it just doesn't happen that way. But as long as we continue to build on the effort we had tonight, that's all you can ask for."