The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 110-97, on Sunday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena to forge a 2-2 tie in the Western Conference semifinal-round series.
Oklahoma City used an outstanding fourth quarter to pull away from an overwhelmed Spurs squad. Kevin Durant, who lead all scorers with 41 points, was particularly pivotal in the final minutes, draining several baskets that continued to extend the Thunder’s lead seemingly every time San Antonio appeared to be making some headway. Oklahoma City was outstanding on both ends of the floor throughout the game, as they managed a 50.6 percent success rate from the field, and 39.1 percent from three-point range. They also suffocated the Spurs’ long-range attack, limiting them to just 16.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
San Antonio received a trio of 20-point-plus efforts from their starting five, spearheaded by Tony Parker’s team-leading 22 points. He added three assists, a steal and a block. Kawhi Leonard was right behind him with 21 points, which he complemented with six rebounds, two assists and four steals. LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 20 points and six rebounds. Both Tim Duncan and Danny Green, the other two members of the first unit, went scoreless over 40 minutes, with the latter being the only one of the two who attempted any field goals. Boris Diaw paced the reserves with 11 points and three rebounds.
Durant supplemented his game-high point total with five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Steven Adams was next among the starting five with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included a pair of blocks. Russell Westbrook filled out the stat sheet with 14 points, 15 assists and three steals. Dion Waiters led the bench with 17 points, and added three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Enes Kanter achieved double-digit scoring in a reserve role as well, supplying 11 points and eight rebounds.
The series now shifts back to San Antonio, where the deadlocked teams will meet for Game 5 at the AT&T Center on Tuesday night.
