As many expected, tempers flared during an electric matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, with reigning MVP Stephen Curry getting into a shoving match with Semaj Christon before the end of the half — a deed ending with two technical fouls for each side.

Curry attempted to gain position on a jump ball, only to meet resistance by Christon, at which point teams stuck up for their own in a pre-halftime skirmish.

“I was just trying to get in between Russ and (Christon),” Curry told reporters in Oklahoma City. “And I felt him push me. I kind of let that first one go, then as I kept going there was another little push. And at that point, I just wanted to hold my position.”

“Much ado about nothing after that.”

Westbrook saw things differently from his point of view.

“Curry tried to get into it with Semaj, tried to push him,” he said. “And I stepped right between, and that’s it. Once I see something going down with my teammates, I’m hopping in.”

As play resumed, a second jump ball was won by the Warriors, with Klay Thompson heaving a pass upcourt and finding an open Curry for a dagger-like trifecta that put the Warriors up by 20 at the half.

“It was kind of a difficult one because I was looking for the ball and had to turn,” Curry said of the play. “Once I got my feet set, it was kind of a shot that I normally take and hopefully make.”