Tim Duncan ratings 27, leads Spurs in series-opening thrashing of Thunder
The San Antonio Spurs were planning to attack the lane whether Oklahoma City huge guy Serge Ibaka was playing or not. The reality that the Thunder's sports defender was missing simply made points simpler for them.
Tim Duncan racked up 27 points and San Antonio benefited from Ibaka's absence to dominate the paint, defeating the Oklahoma City 122-105 on Monday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
Tony Parker did not appear limited by a hamstring injury, scoring 14 points and having 12 assists in 36 minutes.
"We always intend to attempt to pass through," Parker shared. "We always want our ball motion, that's exactly how we play-- kick and pitch and stuff like that. You understand, certainly it's a little bit much better with (Ibaka) not being in the paint, but we're still willing to try to permeate and make things occur.".
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The Thunder acquired their normal offensive results from All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, which scored 28 and 25 points, respectively. However Oklahoma City's staying starters, Nick Collison, Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins, combined to score five factors with 13 rebounds and one help.
Yet it was defensively where the Thunder had a hard time without Ibaka, which will miss the remainder of the postseason after experiencing a calf bone injury in Oklahoma City's series clincher against the L.a Clippers.
The Spurs had 66 factors in the paint and go 58 percent from the area. It was the highest shooting portion allowed by the Thunder in the postseason since transferring from Seattle.
"We're a no-excuse team," Oklahoma City trainer Scott Brooks stated. "Serge is out. He's not returning. We need to play better. We need to play better. If we anticipate to beat one of the most effective teams in basketball, and a very good offensive team, we have to play and we're not willing to make a justification.".
The Spurs fed Duncan early with Ibaka out, and the expert reacted by firing 6-for-7 in racking up 12 factors outdoors quarter.
Parker, who suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring muscle strain in San Antonio's series clincher against Portland, drove the paint and dished to Duncan early just before seeking his own chance midway via the quarter.
"That belongs to our game plan," Duncan shared. "He understood that they just weren't going to allow him fire the sphere like he performed in the last series. They were visiting try to take that away from him, so he knew he was going to need to be an assist male.".
Parker racked up all but 2 of his points in the very first half as the Spurs beat the Thunder for the first time this season.
Despite the fact that San Antonio enhanced to 7-1 in your home in the playoffs, succeeding their past five video games by around 20.6 factors, Monday's success was hard.
The Spurs also still remember what took place in the 2012 meeting finals, when the Thunder won 4 straight to rally from an 0-2 deficiency.
"We knew that we have to play our ideal game to compete against them, and I assume it's great to have a proper fear," Parker claimed. "They played excellent against us in 2012, and we know that we have to be excellent. They're younger than us and even more sports, and so we have to be much more excellent.".
San Antonio played virtually flawlessly offensively and still rallied to take a 76-75 lead on Westbrook's 17-foot jumper with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
"We do not count on moral success," Durant shared. "3rd quarter was clearly our finest quarter, however we really did not shut it out well. It's Video game 1, we've got to make changes and be much better for the following video game. We're not taking no respectable success from it.".
In spite of missing his initial 4 gos, Westbrook continued to bull his means into the street and it paid off as the video game endured.
Westbrook had 12 factors in the 3rd quarter, consistently driving past Parker and the Spurs prior to they might settle in defensively.
With the exception of a set of free throws by Derek Fisher, Westbrook and Durant racked up all of Oklahoma City's factors in a 23-22 3rd quarter.
The extended initiatives exerted by the Thunder's 2 All-Stars ultimately took a toll, especially with the Spurs bench reviving. Westbrook and Durant were restricted to 7 points in the last quarter.
Durant and Westbrook were an integrated 19 for 40. Durant was 1 for 4 in the 4th quarter.
"That's the trick with Kevin," Popovich shared. "You're undoubtedly not going to quit him, but making him strive is definitely the strategy. It's everybody's strategy, no matter that he bets, they're going to make him work hard. I believed Kawhi excelled, really did not foul, but I believe the group did a nice job behind him, assisting him.".
