Down But Not Out: Thunder Fall To Spurs In Game 1

Kevin Durant gave it his all, but the Thunder's defense had no answer for the Spurs.

Monday, May 19th 2014, 11:32 pm

By: News 9


In the absence of Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook did what they normally do.  Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, so did the Spurs. 

San Antonio took advantage of an experimental Thunder rotation by cruising to a 122-105 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. 

Durant scored 28 points and nine rebounds while Westbrook finished with 25 points and seven assists. 

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 points and seven rebounds. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard each added 16 points while Manu Ginobili chipped in 18 off the Spurs' bench.

Derek Fisher gave OKC a huge boost off the bench, pouring in a season-high 16 points. Nick Collison, who started in place of Ibaka, went scoreless in 17 minutes.  Thabo Sefolosha also failed to score in 16 minutes. 

Kendrick Perkins scored 5 points and snagged nine rebounds, but the Thunder's three starters not named Durant and Westbrook combined for 5 points in 56 minutes. 

The Spurs shot out of the gate and took a 20-9 lead.  The Thunder responded with a 9-2 run and got back into the game. 

San Antonio picked it back up in the second quarter and took a 67-59 lead into the break. 

Westbrook exploded in the third, scoring nine straight points to bring Oklahoma City within four.  Durant added a pair of jumpers as the Thunder took off on a 17-5 run and snatched a 76-75 lead. 

But the Spurs answered back with a key 10-0 run late in the third to take back control of the game.  They never let up.

Oklahoma City struggled to find lineups that could defend San Antonio's dynamic offense.  The Thunder found some success with a bigger lineup, but got gashed whenever they went small.  The Spurs outscored OKC by an unbelievable 66-32 margin in the paint. 

This is the Thunder's first loss of the season to San Antonio.  OKC was previously 4-0.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in San Antonio. 

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

May 19th, 2014

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024