SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― The San Antonio Spurs rebounded from their worst loss of the season with a balanced performance against one of the NBA’s best teams.
This was one satisfying victory.
Tiago Splitter had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio snapped Oklahoma City’s five-game winning streak with a 105-93 victory on Monday night.
“I think everybody played well,” Splitter said. “I was one of them. You play well and you feel better. You want to play well against these kinds of teams, these playoff teams. Of course, we’ve got to stay humble. It’s one more game.”
Kawhi Leonard scored 17 points, Danny Green had 16 and Tim Duncan finished with 13 as San Antonio (49-15) maintained the Western Conference’s top record. Manu Ginobili had 12 points and Boris Diaw added 11 as the Spurs’ reserves outscored their counterparts 34-16.
“We had a lot of great play from the bench,” Duncan said. “That second squad came in there and kind of changed the tempo and took control of the game.”
Kevin Durant had 26 points and Russell Westbrook added 25 for the Thunder (47-17), who have lost six straight in San Antonio. Serge Ibaka was the only other player in double figures, adding 13 points and 16 rebounds.
San Antonio’s defense was the difference, turning an evenly matched battle into its third victory in four games without Tony Parker.