Spurs outlast Thunder and seal overtime win in Oklahoma City…
The San Antonio Spurs secured an immediate return to the NBA Finals after clinching a 4-2 series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
San Antonio will now host Game 1 on Thursday night and will try to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat, with the two rivals going head-to-head in the season finale for the second consecutive year.
“People keep talking like we weren’t close to winning, but we were ready to win last year,” Spurs center Tim Duncan said. “We’re happy it’s the Heat again. We’ve got that bad taste in our mouths still.”
Duncan led the way for his team with 19 points and 15 rebounds while Boris Diaw scored 26 points and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds as the visitors were forced to overcome the loss of point guard Tony Parker.
The Frenchman missed the entire second half and overtime with left ankle soreness, and while coach Gregg Popovich insisted that his star had been struggling with it since Game 4, he hopes to have him available later this week for the start of the Finals.
Nevertheless, the Spurs overcame the issue with their teamwork, passing and all-round great performances from role players which ultimately was enough to finally see off the Thunder and break the trend of the home teams winning each game.
Russell Westbrook had 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals, while MVP Kevin Durant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the hosts. However, OKC also committed 20 turnovers that led to 33 points for the Spurs, and inevitably the wily old San Antonio were able to clinch the all-important win.
NBA Results:
San Antonio Spurs 112-107 Oklahoma City Thunder OT
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