The Thunder had won seven of their last eight, but tonight in San Antonio, they came crashing back down to earth. The Spurs dominated every facet of the game, and the Thunder defense got dominated in a way reminiscent of last year's playoffs before the return of Serge Ibaka. Shooting 58 percent from the field and a ridiculous 61 percent from beyond the arc, the Spurs were on fire all night, and after a 39-22 second quarter, they never looked back.
It was a tight encounter to start with as the Thunder withheld an early Spurs punch to trail only 32-28 after the first period. This was largely on the back of stellar play by both point guards, with Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker finishing with 14 and 13 points respectively. It wasn't until the second quarter when the game got truly out of hand.
As soon as the second quarter began and the Thunder's shots stopped falling, the Spurs took advantage in destructive fashion. With the Thunder's defense failing incomprehensibly, their offense failed to keep up and resulted in a Spurs onslaught that decided the game right then and there. The Thunder were eventually outscored, 39-22, for the quarter and right when the Thunder thought they were entering the half with a semi-manageable 18-point deficit, Kawhi Leonard drained a tough corner three to beat the buzzer and have the Spurs up, 71-50, at the half. The Spurs dominated the Thunder the right way, with exquisite ball movement and played some of their best basketball of the season thus far.
Entering the second the half with a 21-point deficit, the Thunder had to punch early if they had any chance. Unfortunately, the Spurs picked up right where they left off and the Thunder started the second half on 1 of 6 shooting as the Spurs stretched their lead to 25, effectively removing all hope of a tight contest. Naturally, as the team’s second unit took the floor, the Spurs continued their dominance as they possess one of the best second and third units in the league. The Thunder managed to tread water with the lead fluctuating around the 25-point mark.
As the fourth quarter arrived, the water broke and the match turned into a full on rout. The Spurs continued to make basket after basket as their second unit demolished the Thunder's weak defense both in the paint and on the perimeter. As the game eased to a very anti-climax end, the Spurs finished with six players in double figures to the Thunder's three and had 15 more field goals made on two fewer attempts. On the whole, the Spurs showed just how vulnerable the Thunder defense is without Ibaka and just how good of a team they are to exploit it. Despite the embarrassment of Wednesday night, the Thunder remains three games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed.
The Thunder head to Utah to take on the Jazz while the Spurs continue their homestand against the struggling Dallas Mavericks.