Oklahoma City Thunder edge past San Antonio Spurs in game 5 of Western Conference Finals (Part 1) – NBA Recap
The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to survive a late charge by the San Antonio Spurs and secure a 108-103 victory in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
The win swings the momentum heavily towards the Thunder, who now have a chance of closing out the series and moving into the NBA Finals with a win at home on Wednesday night. OKC have not been beaten in their own backyard this
postseason.
The Spurs too were unbeaten at their home court since April of this year, but the Thunder big three all had big nights and ensured the victory for Oklahoma City. This was the first time this season that the Spurs have lost three
games in a row.
Kevin Durant once again shined for the Thunder with a team high 27 points. He was 10 of 19 from the field and 5 of 6 from the foul line. Durant also had 5 assists and 4 rebounds to add to his point tally.
Manu Ginobili started the game for the first time in this year’s playoffs, and had a huge night with a game high 34 points and 7 assists. Ginobili was red hot from the field, going 11 of 21 from the field, 5 of 10 from the distance
and 7 of 8 from the foul line.
"That was a total team effort. Everybody did their job. I thought we played as hard as we can play” said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.
The Spurs started the game with an 8-2 run as the Thunder missed their first 7 field goal attempts. They picked up eventually and a three pointer by Thabo Sefolosha tied the game at 15. They then went on an 11-6 run to close the
first period leading 26-21.
Leading 40-36 in the second period, Serge Ibaka scored 5 straight points for the Thunder to initiate a 10-0 run that extended the Thunder lead to 50-36. San Antonio went 0 of 8 from the field during this run by the Thunder as they
failed to build any offensive rhythm. The Spurs did come back with a 6-0 run at the end of the 1st half, but the Thunder still led 52-44 at halftime.
Gregg Popovich must have said something to the Spurs at halftime as they started the 2nd half with a new level of energy and commitment. San Antonio scored the first 6 points of the 3rd period and came within
2 of the Thunder, making their 14 point 2nd quarter lead look like it never happened.
A three pointer by Manu Ginobili gave the Spurs the lead for the first time since the 1st quarter, followed by another three point shot from Ginobili which gave the Spurs a 60-56 lead and got the Spurs crowd excited.
The Thunder kept to their game plan, unmoved by the support for the Spurs and took the lead back with two free throws by Russell Westbrook at the 2:31 mark. Westbrook followed it up with an alley oop dunk off a lob by Durant which
got the team bench charged up and put the Thunder ahead 74-71.
The dunk seemed to have re-energized the Thunder as they closed the third period with a 7-1 run that had them leading 81-72 going into the final period.
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