Close games and a long series will likely benefit the younger Thunder. They accomplished both of those on Monday with a surprising win in Game 2, handing San Antonio just its second home loss of the season. With the series tied at 1-1, the Thunder look to seize control playing on their home floor.
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LOOK AHEAD
Game 1 of the series between the Spurs and Thunder was a huge shock the way the hosts dominated in a matchup many expected to be extremely close. Game 2 was closer to what most analysts thought would transpire, but ended up just as surprising because of what happened in the final seconds.
In a wild series of events with 13 seconds left in the fourth, the Thunder went from a simple inbounds play and knocking down free throws to clinch the win, to defending their goal following a turnover. All anyone wanted to talk about, though, was the interaction between OKC’s Dion Waiters and Manu Ginobili on the inbounds pass. Waiters clearly pushed Ginobili to create space for the pass. There was no call. OKC’s series-tying win will not be reversed, but the Thunder should feel relieved that they escaped. A team known for late-game execution errors made several mistakes in the final 20 seconds and very easily could have handed the Spurs a 2-0 series lead.
INJURIES
The Spurs were tested for the first time in the postseason and their starters logged a majority of minutes in Monday’s Game 2 loss. Still, that shouldn’t be a problem with Game 3 set for Friday.
Both teams came out of Game 2 unscathed on the injury front and have three days off before reuniting in Oklahoma City on Friday.
KEY MATCHUP
It’s clearly apparent that the Thunder can’t stop LaMarcus Aldridge. After going off for 38 points in Game 1, Aldridge picked up right where he left off on Monday. He scored 22 points in the first half – keeping the Spurs in the game after they fell into an early hole – and continued to pick apart the OKC defense throughout the night.
As a whole, the Spurs couldn’t match their Game 1 performance – who would expect them to? But Aldridge somehow did. He buried 15 of 21 from the field and all 10 free throws for 41 points. He made bucket after bucket down the stretch when the Spurs needed them most and the Thunder were powerless to stop him. The team came up short in the end, but it was no fault of Aldridge, who is averaging 39.5 points per game in the series.
QUICK PICK
It was hard to expect the Spurs to play as well in Game 2 as they did in Game 1. And they didn’t. But the dropoff was dramatic and the poor shooting display cost them a chance to go up two games in the NBA series. Aldridge needed some help on Monday and he didn’t get it. Kawhi Leonard had a subpar game by his standards, and oddly enough it was a lack of role players that spelled their doom.
Credit the Thunder for playing a nice game, though. After getting stomped in Game 1, they responded in the best way possible. Their ball movement was crisp, the shots were falling, and, more importantly, they pressured San Antonio. A win on the road is a huge momentum boost, but the Spurs will get their game back in a hostile environment.
NBA Odds: San Antonio 105, Oklahoma City 99
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