Thunder at Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs look to post their eighth consecutive home win over Oklahoma City when they host the Thunder on Saturday. San Antonio has excelled against all teams on the home floor with a 23-7 mark, including Wednesday's 105-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The victory over the Pistons came after the Spurs went 1-7 on the annual Rodeo Road Trip. "We haven't done well on the road, so we have to take care of home court at the least," San Antonio All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge told reporters. "(Wednesday's win) was a good start." Oklahoma City All-Star forward Paul George (shoulder) hopes to return after sitting out Thursday's 108-104 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Thunder dropped three straight games and four of their last five and they begin March with a stretch where five of six games are on the road.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (38-23): Point guard Russell Westbrook recorded 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Philadelphia for his 12th triple-double in the past 15 games and 25th of the season. But Oklahoma City badly missed George - Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said he was injured during Tuesday's loss to the Denver Nuggets - who has topped 20 points in 17 of the previous 18 games and was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February. Forward Markieff Morris made his first start since joining the Thunder and scored 17 points in 19 minutes.
ABOUT THE SPURS (34-29): The lack of success on the long road trip deeply affected San Antonio but the mood was much higher after the win over the Pistons. "We didn’t let anything get us down when we made mistakes offensively or defensively," standout guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters. "We just kept playing." DeRozan had 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for his 10th double-double of the season while Aldridge scored 24 points and is averaging 25 over the past two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split two previous meetings this season, with the Spurs prevailing 154-147 in double-overtime in San Antonio on Jan. 10.
2. Oklahoma City backup PG Dennis Schroder was 4-of-15 shooting against Philadelphia and is 16-of-60 over the past four games.
3. San Antonio reached a buyout with veteran C Pau Gasol, who reportedly plans to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks.