Spurs escape OKC in turbulent series, 116-115 then 97-100 in second game.

The OKC Thunder put the breaks on a good start for the Spurs, but somehow the third-quarter stalwarts of San Antonio pulled through to win the 3rd Quarter, 37-20, erasing what was once an 18 point advantage and 16 at halftime, 46-62.

33-33 was the scoring stalemate in the final quarter, as both teams tied the other in the rebounding column. OKC's bench devoured the Spurs 38-13, but OKC missed five free throws. To the Spurs' benefit, they did shoot 53% within striking distance of OKC's 55% for the game, hitting a trio more of three-pointers that proved to be the difference tonight.

Terrence Ross (19 points, 8 assists, 4-4 3PT) hit a 3PTer at the buzzer, but the game was already over, as Dejounte Murray iced free throws at the line as part of his 30 points, 6 assists, 7 steals (a new career-high mark) stat line. In the win, Brandon Ingram had 35 points, 6 rebounds & 7 assists of his own, hitting on a stellar 15-26 shots from the field. Fred VanVleet came to life at the best time, burying six threes for 22 points & 6 assists to go with 2 steals. Andre Drummond had 12 points, 22 rebounds.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 13 points & 10 assists. Precious Achiuwa had 22 points.

The second go-around in this MLB-style series also went to the Spurs, but not after another late rally by the Thunder once the Spurs had seized a strong lead due to Andre Drummond (29 points, 17 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks). Brandon Ingram had 18 points, with Kent Bazemore showing promise with 14 points. Fred VanVleet dished 9 assists and nabbed 5 impressive steals. Evan Fournier had 13 points. The Spurs held a scoring edge all game long, winning the 1st Quarter by 27-20, the second by 20-17 before OKC dead-evened the 3rd Quarter before a 34-27 run in the 4th, albeit too late. Achiuwa led OKC with 23 points & 8 rebounds. Jakob Poetl had a strong 19 points, 19 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander had a rough showing, though, going 2-10 with 9 awful turnovers.

Spurs take the 'W' in first meeting against Giannis & Golden State, 97-116.

 

"I had a hot hand tonight and helped us get a big win against another contender, so it feels good," said Evan Fournier after scorching the Warriors for 36 points, hitting six 3PT daggers with 7 rebounds--a new career-high tally for Fournier.

 Not to be outdone by too much, Brandon Ingram delivered 30 points of his own on a sound shooting night. Dejounte Murray dished 14 assists with 16 points as well, notching 2 steals. Andre Drummond had some foul difficulty with four whistles, but still claimed 11 boards & 3 crucial blocks throughout the game.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo snatched the lead away, if only for a moment, streaking with finesse downwind for 26 points & 12 rebounds with 2 steals for the Warriors. Steph Curry had a cold shooting night, not on his game to score just 7 points, surrendering 5 turnovers. Andrew Wiggins also had a quiet night with just 9 points. The Greek Freak will need more help next time around, as the Spurs dominated the 4th Quarter, 34-19 to pull away after a neck-and-neck face-off.

The Rest: San Antonio won the 1st, 32-24; Golden State won 34-28 in the 2nd, with the Spurs edging 22-20 in the 3rd. The Warriors only hit three 3PTers, and that won't get it done in today's league.

Spurs top Kings, 108-98 to spoil Gordon's nice game.

Aaron Gordon had 24 points, 5 rebounds & 6 assists with 4 steals, and the Kings won the 4th Quarter, 34-20, but it was not enough as the Spurs team-oriented production sealed the road win. Richaun Holmes scored 17 points, 10 rebounds behind Gordon. But the Spurs defensive approach paid off greatly, as Marvin Bagley III struggled for the first time in recent memory against San Antone, finishing with just 8 points. Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball had just 7 points and 7 assists.

For the Spurs, Evan Fournier put in a sharp performance of 18 points on 8-11 shooting with five assists. Andre Drummond nearly got another triple-double of 18 points, 16 rebounds & 6 assists with 5 monstrous blocks. Brandon Ingram sizzled for 17 points & 8 rebounds. Kent Bazemore showed some strides with 12 points and Murray chipped in 11 points.

The Spurs led by 32 points at one period in the game.

Spurs roll past Jazz, 110-95.

Rookie Jemayn Brakefield scored 14 points, with Drummond's 19 rebounds & 13 points down low helping the Spurs cruise to a road victory behind 22 points & 13 impressive boards by Brandon Ingram.

The Spurs crushed Utah, 29-12 in the 1st Quarter leading the game by as much as 33 points, as this rivalry may now be in the rear-view mirror before long.

For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell had just 16 points on an 0-5 outing from the perimeter. Mike Conley was a chilly 3-10, as the replacements for Rudy Gobert, Iviva Zubac & Montrez Harrell combined for just 15 points.

Drummond earns triple-double in win over Rockets, 103-93.

The Rockets shot just 44%, hitting just 8 threes as they went down early at home against the Spurs, boosted by a huge downpour from Andre Drummond, whose triple-double of 16 points, 26 rebounds & 10 assists was the spectacle of the evening.

 Otherwise, Ingram scored 17 points with VanVleets 16 points to go with 15 by Murray & another 15 by Thomas Bryant. For Houston, Russell Westbrook had just 16 points with 4 steals, but a cold night was in store for James Harden, who shot 0-5 from long range.

San Antonio led by as many as 22 points. Coach Pop said after the game, "Dre's passing is really starting to reach that next level. Reminds me of one of my coaches, can't remember his name. The really tall one," as Tim Duncan rose an eyebrow on the sideline.