Thunder 105, Spurs 92
Russell Westbrook had 40 points, 10 assists and five steals as host Oklahoma City routed San Antonio to even the Western Conference finals at two games apiece.
Kevin Durant had 31 points and three steals as the Thunder posted their second consecutive impressive victory after losing the first two games of the series. Kendrick Perkins collected 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka contributed nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
Boris Diaw had 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Tony Parker also scored 14 points for the Spurs. Tim Duncan tallied just nine points for San Antonio, which shot just 39.8 percent from the field and had zero fast-break points compared to 21 from the Thunder.
Oklahoma City led by 15 points at halftime and put the game away with 12 straight points midway through the third quarter to take a 76-49 advantage with 4:35 remaining. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich opted to clear his bench and the reserves were within 96-84 after Matt Bonner’s 3-pointer with 3:31 to play in the contest before Westbrook scored the Thunder’s next four points and exited with 66 seconds left – just three points shy of matching his postseason-best point total.
San Antonio scored the game’s first eight points before the Thunder dominated play and cruised into halftime with a 58-43 lead. Durant scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Westbrook had 17 points, eight assists and four steals prior to the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Thunder G Reggie Jackson again started but played only 13 minutes due to a sprained right ankle suffered in the first quarter. … San Antonio has lost nine consecutive games in Oklahoma City, counting both the regular season and the postseason. … The Thunder committed just seven turnovers while scoring 21 points off 13 San Antonio miscues.