A major factor in the Golden State Warriors' Game 2 win to even the Western Conference Finals was an adjustment to how they defended Russell Westbrook.

In Game 1, Westbrook blew the game open in the second half, scoring 19 points in the third quarter. It was the most he’s scored in a quarter of a postseason game.

Westbrook scored 14 of those 19 points in transition or when guarded by Stephen Curry. Westbrook was matched up against Curry 15 times in the third quarter while no other Warriors defender guarded Westbrook more than four times.

For the game, Westbrook scored 10 points against Curry on 3-of-9 shooting and drew a pair of shooting fouls. It could have been worse as Westbrook missed all three uncontested looks he had against Curry.

Although Westbrook had some success on Curry, he was quiet when defended by Klay Thompson, missing both of his attempts. In Game 1, Thompson was matched up with Westbrook 25 times. In those situations, the Thunder averaged 80.0 points per 100 possessions, a significant drop from the 105.6 points per 100 possessions they averaged when Curry guarded Westbrook.

So how did the Warriors counter in Game 2? By giving Thompson more time on Westbrook and by getting back in transition.

Westbrook finished Game 2 with as many turnovers as made field goals when guarded by Thompson as he finished 2-of-8 from the field against Thompson and 3-of-6 against everyone else, as noted in the graphic below.

Russell Westbrook By Defender Game 2, Western Conference Finals Thompson Curry Matchups 26 24 FG 2-8 1-2 Turnovers 2 0 Assists 4 6

Switching Thompson onto Westbrook was just half the battle. Westbrook entered Game 2 as the most prolific transition scorer this postseason, averaging almost seven transition points per game. He scored eight points in transition in Game 1 after dominating the San Antonio Spurs in the previous round, scoring in double figures in transition in four of the final five games of that series.

After his recent success, it seemed unlikely that Golden State would be able to stifle the Westbrook express. But Westbrook did not attempt a single shot in transition in Game 2, the first time he’s been held without a transition attempt in any game in the playoffs.

Looking ahead to Game 3, can the Warriors shut him down in the open floor again? After each of the two times Westbrook was held under five transition points against San Antonio, he came back to score 11 in transition. That was against a Spurs team that ranked first in transition defense during the regular season.

Even if the Warriors can’t restrict Westbrook’s open-floor exploits to the degree they did in Game 2, they’ve proven capable of slowing him down.