Spurs at Thunder
San Antonio dominated the first two games of the Western Conference finals and Oklahoma City strives to record a breakthrough victory when the Thunder host the Spurs on Sunday. San Antonio won two home games by an average of 26 points, including a 35-point victory in Game 2 that left the Thunder shell-shocked. Oklahoma City also dug itself a 0-2 hole in the 2012 conference finals against the Spurs before rallying to win the next four games.
The Thunder have upgraded power forward Serge Ibaka (calf) from out to day-to-day and general manager Sam Presti cautioned that the announcement doesn’t mean Ibaka is playing in Game 3. “I think it’s important, when you look at this, to recognize that we’re not saying that he’s playing but what we’re really trying to indicate is that the information is telling us that we can’t rule him out,” Presti told reporters on Friday. San Antonio has thrived in the interior with 120 points in the paint over the first two games and has also made nine 3-pointers in each contest.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE SPURS: The veteran club isn’t willing to rest on its laurels despite the consecutive routs. Power forward Tim Duncan and guard Manu Ginobili both referenced the collapse of two years ago in their respective sessions with reporters on Friday. “We cannot take anything for granted,” Ginobili said. “We had a great start and ended up losing the series. We are playing a team that is so talented and has so many way of scoring – it is never over until you win the fourth game. We know that and most of us were on that team.”
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Earlier this week, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks made it clear Ibaka wasn’t going to return during the series but the situation quickly changed with the Thunder landing in a dire situation. Oklahoma City went 4-0 against the Spurs in the regular season but has been caught in a severe mismatch against Duncan without Ibaka’s presence. “He’s still out,” Brooks told reporters. “We’re still focusing on trying to beat the Spurs without him playing, and that has not changed. I know he’s listed as day-to-day but, still, he is out until I’m told differently. All of our attentions and game planning is to focus on ways to play much better than we did last game.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Spurs PG Tony Parker has displayed no signs of his recent hamstring injury, shooting 55.2 percent from the field while averaging 18 points and 8.5 assists.
2. Oklahoma City stars Kevin Durant (21.5 points, six rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (20 points, six assists) are shooting a combined 40 percent from the field.
3. San Antonio SG Danny Green has made 11-of-15 3-pointers – including seven in Game 2 -- while averaging 18.5 points over the first two games.