OKC Thunder destroy the Spurs in impressive fashion: Grades
By Sinjin Snope
The OKC Thunder blow the doors off of the San Antonio Spurs in a resounding 131-103 victory in front of a raucous crowd inside Chesapeake Energy Arena
Resting during the All-Star break must have done the OKC Thunder some wonders because this team just continues to impress. The feisty San Antonio Spurs were in town tonight, a team that had just defeated OKC not that long ago. That proved to be a distant memory as the Thunder roared past the Spurs in impressive fashion tonight.
131. 149. Final. 103. 29
The first quarter was a showcase of both team’s offensive prowess. OKC got going with youngster Lu Dort scoring a quick 7 points to go along with the usual suspects of Chris Paul and Steven Adams. The Spurs used their balanced attack to keep this game tied at 29 going into the second quarter.
This is where the game started to slip away ever so slightly from the visiting Spurs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found his rhythm and the OKC defense stiffened and created run outs to create more Thunder baskets. San Antonio kept it interesting, as they always seem to do, but the Thunder had created a lead of 6 going into the halftime break.
OKC decided enough was enough when the third period began. Seemingly from the get-go of the second half, the Thunder stepped on the Spurs’ collective throat and ran away with this game. Everyone on the roster got in on the fun, as the Thunder set an OKC record with 8 (!) different players scoring in double figures this evening.
The third quarter blended into the 4th quarter and the battle of backups began. After the final buzzer rang, the Thunder ended up on top by a mere 28 points. This marks yet another win against a formidable Western Conference opponent and continues to show why this team is the real deal.
On to some player grades.