Russell Westbrook took more shots than Kevin Durant. Again. In fact Westbrook's stat line looks just about how you would expect it to look if all you had to go on was his previous numbers in the postseason. 21 attempts, 42% shooting, 25% from three, an assist to turnover ratio under two. It's strange how similiar that is to his averages over the postseason. Durant meanwhile, was his usual efficient self, 53% shooting, 28 points on 19 shots. He also turned the ball over six times.
But enough about the Thunder. The Spurs handled them with relative ease. The Thunder made their run, coming from down 15 to take a one-point lead, but the Spurs responded with a 10-0 run. A timely bucket from Manu Ginobili was followed by an and-one from Tim Duncan, who had dominated the Thunder in the first half, scoring 21 points, but was struggling in the second half, and he came up big when the Spurs needed a bucket.
Ginobili was aggressive and found success in the second half of the game. Tony Parker racked up 12 assists and scored 14 points. Danny Green was a plus-30 and 6-of-7 from the floor (4-5 from deep.) Kawhi made huge plays and went for the kill. It was a great performance.
Your Spurs improve to 9-4 in the postseason. The magic number is now SEVEN.
This team is so easy to root for.
Popovich Postgame:
On Tony Parker looking fit
I think he feels pretty good. A little winded, but he didn't seem to have a problem with his leg.
On the points in the paint, and if that was a priority with Ibaka out
No, sometimes it's hard to focus on something like that and decide you're going to do this, or you're going to shoot threes tonight, you're going to go into the paint tonight, or you're going to do this. You just take what's given, and play the game Respect the game and just take advantage of that.
On Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and the team defense
Well, that's a key with Kevin. You're obviously not going to stop him, but making him work hard is certainly the plan. It's everybody's plan, they're going to make him work hard. Kawhi was good, didn't foul, but I think the team did a nice job behind him helping him. Danny Green, Marco Belinelli, and Manu Ginobili all ended up on him at some point, and I thought they did a pretty good job.