OAKLAND - Monta Ellis scored 27 points in his return following a two-week absence, Stephen Curry added 25 and the Warriors overcame a 20-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 120-117, on Sunday night.
The Warriors missed three free throws in the final 53 seconds but held on to win when Kevin Durant's 3-point attempt with a second left bounced off the back of the rim.
Durant finished with 40 points for Oklahoma City, which dropped into the eighth seed in the Western Conference with two games remaining. The Thunder are tied for sixth with Portland and San Antonio, but the Blazers and Spurs hold the tiebreakers.
That could be critical as the three teams try to avoid a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to Portland on Sunday.
That put the Thunder in position of needing to beat Golden State to hang onto their one-game lead for the sixth seed. Instead, after scoring 31 points in the first 7 minutes, Oklahoma City's offense went cold while allowing the Warriors to post their second-largest comeback of the season.
Both Ellis and Curry missed key free throws in the final 29 seconds, but the Thunder - who will play at Portland on Monday night - committed two turnovers and couldn't get off an uncontested shot over the final 1:11.
Warriors coach Don Nelson was honored during a pregame ceremony commemorating his 1,333rd career victory last week, which moved him past Lenny Wilkens for the top spot on the NBA's wins list. Video tributes from fellow coaches Pat Riley, Larry Brown and others also played on the scoreboard hanging above midcourt throughout the game.
