The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-96 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals to take a 2-1 lead on Friday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The statistics indicate an easy Spurs win, but this was a tight game throughout. San Antonio held the lead for well over 40 minutes of this game, but only led by double-digits for less than five minutes. They held the Thunder to just 41 percent shooting and won the turnover battle 14 to eight. San Antonio also hit over 50 percent of their three-point attempts, with Oklahoma City making the same amount of threes on 11 more attempts.
The Spurs never played dominantly in this game, but they thoroughly out-executed the Thunder to a crucial road win. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 31 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds in the win. LaMarcus Aldridge provided 24 points and eight rebounds of his own. Tony Parker tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the victory. No other player scored in double figures for the Spurs, as the other seven players combined for 26 points.
Oklahoma City pulled off a shocking road win in Game 2, but lost that momentum with this home defeat. Russell Westbrook finished the game with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but shot just 10-for-31 from the field. Kevin Durant scored 26 of his own on 10-for-18 shooting. Serge Ibaka was the only other Thunder player in double figures, as he scored 15 points. Game 4 will be on Sunday, as the Thunder look to defend their home building.
