San Antonio Spurs rout Oklahoma City Thunder in game 2 of Western Conference Finals – NBA Playoffs Recap
The San Antonio Spurs are looking like a team possessed after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-111 here at the AT&T Center. The Spurs take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals after the win, making it very difficult
for the Thunder to climb back.
Only 14 teams in NBA playoff history have won the series after trailing 2-0 after two games. The challenge for the Thunder is now big and steep. The Spurs won their 20th game in a row, breaking the record held by the
Los Angeles Lakers who won 19 straight games from the regular season into the playoffs in the 2000-2001 NBA season.
Tony Parker had 34 points and 8 assists for the night as he led the Spurs on his back throughout the match, getting the crucial points when needed and setting up plays for his teammates. He seemed unstoppable on the court, penetrating
into the court despite the big presence of the Thunder frontcourt.
Kevin Durant had 31 points as he led the Thunder is trying to catch up with the Spurs, but San Antonio were relentless in their offense, not giving the Thunder an opportunity to get back into the game after leading by as many as
22 points.
The Spurs carried the offensive momentum from the 4th quarter of game 1, where they scored 39 points. They opened the game with a 19-9 run and after scoring 12 of 23 from the field, led 28-22 at the close of the first
period. The Thunder went 4 of 14 in that 19-9 run by the Spurs and turned the ball over 4 times.
The Spurs then started the 2nd period with a 14-7 run that was capped off by a three pointer by Stephen Jackson, propelling Spurs up to 42-29, their largest lead of the night till that point. They held on to a comfortable
lead the rest of the half and finished the first half leading the Thunder 55-44.
The Spurs shot 58 percent in the first half and had 13 assists. They also reduced their turnovers to 6 in the first half, after turning the ball over 14 times in the first two quarters of game 1.
A 13-8 run to start the third quarter had the Spurs cruising with a 68-52 lead and 8:30 left in the period. Back to back three point shots by Kawhi Leonard and Parker had the Spurs up 78-58 as the Thunder seemed lost for answers
against the precision passing and phenomenal shooting of the Spurs.
Boris Diaw followed Parker’s three-pointer with a layup to give the Spurs their largest lead of the night at 80-58. The Spurs led 92-76 heading into the final period.
The Thunder finally came alive in the final period, starting it with a 10-3 run to cut the Spurs lead to 9. The Spurs went 1 of 5 to start the period and had their lead cut as the Thunder started to build momentum.
Four free throws in a row by Russell Westbrook had the Thunder within 6 of the Spurs with 5:40 left in the game. But two free throws by Tim Duncan followed by a layup by Parker put the Spurs back up by 10. The Thunder’s defence
was unable to force missed possessions by the Spurs and hence, could not gain control of the match. The Spurs won 120-111 in the end.
Parker went 16 of 21 from the field and had 8 assists to go with his 34 points for the night. He was without a doubt, the best player of the game.
Manu Ginobili had 20 points and 4 assists while rookie Kawhi Leonard had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan was relatively weak for the night, going 2 of 11 from the field for his 11 points. He also had 12 rebounds.
Durant led the Thunder scoring with 31 points. He was 10 of 17 from the field, 8 of 8 from the foul line and 3 of 4 from the distance. KD also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists to go with his 31 points. James Harden added 30 points
from a 10 of 13 shooting night. He was also 10-13 from the foul line and had 7 rebounds and 4 assists as well. Russell Westbrook finished with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists but went 10 of 24 from the field.
The Spurs had 27 assists compared to 19 for the Thunder. They also shot better from the field, averaging 55% for the night as compared to 42% for the Thunder. The spurs also went 11 of 26 from beyond the arc in a game that was
seemingly dominated by San Antonio.
Game 3 will be played Thursday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena where the Thunder will look to come back in the series.
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