Spurs at Thunder
THE STORY: It's not even news anymore when Kevin Durant comes through in the clutch. The San Antonio Spurs will have to deal with him when they travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. Durant hit a jumper with 22 seconds remaining and then made two free throws that led Oklahoma City to a 98-95 win in Houston on Saturday. Durant plays it cool late in games. "If you think about it too much, you end up overdoing it or missing, so I just don’t care," he said. "If I miss a shot, I miss it. If I make it, I make it." The Spurs are 3-0 since Manu Ginobili broke his left hand last week. San Antonio placed seven players in double figures in Saturday's 121-117 win over Denver. The Spurs were led by the unheralded Danny Green, who scored a career-high 24 points and hit 9-of-13 shots from the field in 33 minutes. San Antonio shot 55 percent.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Southwest (San Antonio), Fox Sports Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), NBA TV
ABOUT THE SPURS (6-2): It was assumed San Antonio's offense would grind to a halt without Ginobili, but that hasn't happened so far. The Spurs have scored 105 points a game since the injury. Richard Jefferson has averaged 17.3 points in the last three games, including a 19-point performance highlighted by hitting five 3-pointers Saturday. Tony Parker had 19 points and six assists against the Nuggets. The Spurs point guard is averaging 17 points and 7.7 assists since Ginobili went out.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (7-2): Oklahoma City has bounced back from losing two straight. The Thunder defeated Houston by 15 points Friday and then rallied late in Saturday's game to overtake the Rockets. Durant scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook added 25 points and six assists while Nazr Mohammed came off the bench for his best game of the season with 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. The Thunder is playing the final game of a back-to-back-to-back stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. San Antonio had 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in 18 second-chance points Saturday.
2. Thunder backup guard Eric Maynor injured his right knee while driving to the basket in the fourth quarter. He was carried to the locker room by teammates.
3. The Spurs have beaten the Thunder six consecutive times. Oklahoma City's last win in the series came on Nov. 14, 2009.