San Antonio received double-doubles from Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard Thursday night, but it wasn't enough to hold off the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka in Oklahoma City, who won 100-88 and pulled to within a half game of the first-place Spurs.
Durant had the best all around game of the three, scoring 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds, handing out six assists, and even blocking three shots.
Westbrook led all players in scoring with 27 points, on 9-of-21 shooting. He contributed across the whole stat sheet as well, racking up seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in the win. Serge Ibaka posted a double-double, giving Oklahoma City 11 points and 11 boards. Reserve guard Derek Fisher also had his best game with Oklahoma City, pouring in 17 points and draining 5-of-7 3-pointers in just 15 minutes of play.
The win was an important one for the Thunder, who have had their struggles with San Antonio in the past. The win pulls them closer to the top seed in the Western Conference, an important factor come postseason time. The Thunder fans are known as some of the loudest in the league, and earned the nickname "Loud City."
"We're a team that's been through it. We went to the Finals and the Western Conference finals the last two years, so we know the importance of the playoffs," Durant said after the game. "It's not like this is our first go-around. So, we know we want to play as many games as we can here in Oklahoma City."
The Spurs were without Manu Ginobili, and an ineffective Tony Parker left the game after he scored just two points in 25 minutes. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said, "When he started out, it looked like he had no energy to start the game and then as he went, he looked to me like he was limping," Popovich said. "And then (at the) start of the second half, we saw him coming across half-court actually limping one time, and that's when we pulled him and I said to him, 'Tony, you got to stop.'"
Parker would not speculate on whether his latest injury will cause him to miss more time. "We'll see. I'll just talk with the medical staff and talk with Pop and try to make the best decision and make sure I'm 100 percent and healthy for the playoffs because that's the most important thing."
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