BOX SCORE
Two nights, two streaks ended. After all the fun and joy we had the past week and half, these last two days were a bit of a buzzkill.
This was the dreaded fourth in five nights game and it showed for Oklahoma City. Call it running out of gas, call it playing shorthanded, but the Thunder just didn’t have enough against the rested, veteran Spurs, dropping a second straight, 95-87.
First, let’s get the Durant streak stuff out of the way. Twenty-nine straight games of 25 points or more is just unreal. We all had visions of this thing lasting forever because KD just scores with ease. It’s almost effortless. Some guys labor for points. Durant puts up 31 on 12-17 shooting like it’s nothing.
I definitely never thought KD’s streak was distracting to himself or teammates. But it was DEFINITELY distracting to me. It’s all I thought about. I’d be staring at the box score constantly worrying about it. Cripes, just 17 with 6:50 left in the third. PICK IT UP KD! I always hoped he’d gets his 25th point in the third quarter because then I wouldn’t have to worry about that AND the actual game during the fourth. Just too much for this Thunder fan’s heart. I kind of feel like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive after he catches Dr. Richard Kimble. Harrison Ford says, “But it’s over now” and Jones replies, “You know I’m glad. I need the rest.” I wanted the streak to last forever and ever. But now I don’t have look at the box score ever 15 seconds. I need the rest. Read more…
Recap
San Antonio Spurs
vs. 
OKC Thunder (33-22, 17-11 road) at. San Antonio Spurs (31-23, 19-10 home)
TV: KSBI Thunder TV (Cox 15, HD 715)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:30 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 106.3 (17th), Spurs – 109.3 (7th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.9 (3rd), Spurs – 104.8 (11th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.6 (16th), Spurs – 91.4 (24th)
View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell
So what happens after you lose? Do you play again? Do you have to go home for the rest of the season? It’s just been so long since it happened that I’ve forgotten. It’s funny though thinking about it. Last year, it was a strange feeling if we won. Now, it’s getting odd if we lose. I think I like it better this way. Read more…
Preview
San Antonio Spurs
BOX SCORE – ADVANCED BOX SCORE
(Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
After Oklahoma City pummeled the Knicks Wednesday night, I wrote about how most of the time I like a good close game with big moments and clutch plays. Let me clarifiy: I’m pretty sure I only like close games like that when Oklahoma City wins.
But make no mistake, the Thunder’s 109-108 overtime loss to the Spurs was an excellent game. Definitely the best of the season thus far. If Russell Westbrook’s jumper as time expired didn’t hit back-iron and had fallen and the Thunder had won, this one would have been tucked away in a special place for me. Like as in, best professional game I’d ever attended. But it didn’t. So I’m not too keen on storing this one in the memory banks.
OKC dug a 19-point hole early that it couldn’t get all the way out of until there were two minutes left in the third. The Spurs jumped out early in the fourth, but a couple big time stops and great execution on the offensive end forced the game into an extra frame. And then it wrapped up the way any great game should – star players made plays, the officials made questionable calls that one side loved and the other side hated and it all came down to one final possession. There were highs and lows, but in the end, pretty much all lows. Read more…
Recap
San Antonio Spurs
vs. 
San Antonio Spurs (23-13, 6-7 road) vs. Okla. City Thunder (21-16, 11-8 home)
TV: KSBI-52 (Cox 15, HD 715)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 106.1 (20th), Spurs– 111.5 (4th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.4 (7th), Spurs – 104.2 (8th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.4 (17th), Spurs– 91.2 (25th)
View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell
A note: While discussing the game this evening, please keep your language clean. Please.
I’m ready for a statement. There have already been a few (Orlando, at Phoenix) but this one would catch some attention, especially with the team being five games over right now. No longer would it be seen as a “Oh, that’s cool. The Thunder surprised the Spurs,” but maybe now it would be, ” Oh man, this Thunder team is serious.” Read more…
Preview
San Antonio Spurs
This was a big time confidence builder game for the Thunder tonight on the road.
BOX SCORE
Go ahead and take a look at the box. It’s kind of weird how close this thing was. Only one field goal separated the two teams tonight and just one three with the same 3fg% of 16.7%. The teams were only separated by two rebounds, had the same number of steals and were in the same ball park on turns. The two big stats that stand out are the 10 blocks by the Thunder (3 for the Spurs) and the 9 extra charity stripe freebies. Nads Krstic was the man with three blocks and Kevin Durant had 13 of his 25 points at the line.
I thought most of the first half of tonight’s game was actually a little dull as far as entertainment value goes. I felt like we were actually kind of lucky to only be down by 7 at the break. We weren’t shooting especially well and weren’t defending to any great degree. We allowed the Spurs to drop 28 on us in the second quarter and shoot 8/16. The saving grace is that they were not hitting from deep.
Our guys in blue came out smokin’ in the third putting 14 quick points on the board in the first 4 minutes and knotting it up at 53 apiece. Whatever Brooks said at halftime was working as the Thunder seemed to have all the hustle and passion. We finished the third by scoring 32 points on 62.5% shooting while holding the Spurs to just 21 points.
The Spurs really made a tight game of it in the fourth quarter with much better shooting (10/21). The Thunder were really working and hustling on defense but almost shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and missed free throws. Still despite the missteps the drama at the end made the game that much more interesting and intense. Read more…
Recap
San Antonio Spurs
vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder (4-4, 2-2 road) at San Antonio Spurs (4-3, 4-0 home)
TV: KSBI-HD (Cox 15, HD 715, Tulsa Cox 3)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:30 CST
View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 101.0 (22nd), Spurs – 113.2 (3rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 97.3 (3rd), Spurs – 110.2 (25th)
Pace: Thunder – 90.6 (25th), Spurs – 90.5 (26th)
Everybody had visions of going to San Antonio 5-3. It would have been a really nice buffer. That way you know you’re coming home at least a game over .500. Now, at 4-4, Oklahoma City has got to win in San Antonio to achieve that. Just not the position we wanted to be in. Read more…
Preview
San Antonio Spurs
BOX SCORE
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
One thing that’s nice about preseason is that your team can play an absolutely horrid game, yet you can sit back and say how it didn’t matter and then point out some positives. And that’s exactly what I plan on doing. The Thunder got walloped in Austin, 119-102, but it was a competitive first 21 minutes though OKC got completely run the last 27. It was 53-50 with 2:55 remaining in the first half. Then San Antonio went on to outscore the Thunder 66 to 52, and had stretched the lead out to 28 at one point.
But hey, it doesn’t matter! It’s just preseason and it doesn’t count! Which is good because I’d really like to forget that I watched that second half. And while the Thunder played some seriously sloppy defense throughout the game, it’s tough to defend against a team that hits 14-19 on 3-pointers (11-14 in the first half) and hits 58 percent from the floor. Some of that were the pathetic closeouts and bad rotations on the defensive end by OKC, but some of it was just deadeye shooting by the Spurs. Read more…
Recap
San Antonio Spurs
vs. 
San Antonio Spurs (3-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-3)
TV: Thunder TV – KSBI 52 (Cox 15, HD 715)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:30 CDT
View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell
Second to last. This is the second to last warmup game before the real deal. By that token alone, I’m excited about this game.
It’s also Kevin Durant’s homecoming and Scott Brooks said KD would play more minutes tonight. Even though Durant went to that “school” down south, I’m happy for him and I’m sure he’s going to really enjoy being back there. He got a little misty when his jersey was raised to the rafters last spring and I’m sure he’ll feel similar emotions tonight while his name gets chanted all night. So good for him. Read more…
Preview
San Antonio Spurs
Now that’s more like it. I mean, that’s more like what we’ve gotten used to this season.
A game that was very competitive for four quarters with some leads here and there but eventually winding up as a loss. And after the last two, I’ll take it. Especially against a team the caliber of the Spurs.
This was the type of game that was tight throughout, but a poor fourth quarter stretch did Oklahoma City in. And I hate to second guess, but the damage was done with the odd lineup of Kyle Weaver, Shaun Livingston, Jeff Green, D.J. White and Nick Collison. In other words, no offense. The Thunder scored two points over that three minute stretch while San Antonio scored 10. Kind of sort of the difference in the game right there. It’s really no biggie because more than anything you’re trying different combinations and different lineups to see what works and what doesn’t.
You look at the box score and it’s actually kind of difficult to figure out what went wrong. The Spurs shot 47 percent and OKC 45. Both teams made 15 free throws. Both teams made six threes. The Spurs outrebounded OKC by one and only had two more offensive rebounds. The turnover margin was only two in the Spurs favor as the Thunder only turned it 11 times but yet it was a 10 point loss. While they seem small, all those little things added up to seven more Spur shot attempts which gave them five more made baskets. So let’s see, 10 points, two points a basket… five more baskets… two times five equals… 10. There it is. It’s amazing how those tiny things add up to the difference in a game. It really shows how small the margin is between winning and losing at this level. Read more…
Recap
San Antonio Spurs
vs. 
San Antonio Spurs (49-27, 23-15 road) vs. Thunder (21-55, 14-25 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma HD (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:00 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.8 (29th), San Antonio: 108.4 (13th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.5 (20th), San Antonio: 104.5 (5th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.5 (8th), San Antonio: 88.5 (26th)
Boy, thank goodness we get to play the Spurs again. I was getting tired of all this losing crap.
Those last two games were rough. For a minute there I thought it was November again. It doesn’t help that one of the best teams in the league comes in after just suffering one of their biggest losses of the season in Cleveland and oh yeah, OKC’s beaten them the last two and kind of sort of embarrassed them so I think they’ll be playing with a little added vengeance. So that’s not good.
But with this Thunder team you can never tell. A game that seems like a gimme they lose by 15. A game that looks like they’ll have no shot, they win. So tonight? All bets are off. Read more…
Other
San Antonio Spurs
