Field Level Media
Mar 2, 2019
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points, 23 of them in a torrid first half, and took 10 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an easy 116-102 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
San Antonio won its second consecutive game after a three-game losing streak and now has three victories in its last 10 outings. The Thunder fell for the fourth straight outing.
The Spurs took a lead they would never relinquish with a dominating stretch in the second quarter, but they gave back most of that advantage when Oklahoma City made its only real run of the game in the middle of that period.
San Antonio went on to lead by double digits through the final 19 minutes of the game and by as many as 19 points late in the game.
Rudy Gay added 22 points for San Antonio while DeMar DeRozan hit for 18, Bryn Forbes scored 16 and Derrick White tallied 14.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 19 points while Dennis Schroder scored 18. Steven Adams hit for 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Raymond Felton contributed 13 points and Jerami Grant and Markieff Morris scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Oklahoma City played without forward Paul George, who missed his second straight game with shoulder soreness.
The Spurs ripped to a 72-63 lead after a defense-challenged first half as Aldridge racked up 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting in 20 minutes of court time. Gay added 14 points for San Antonio in the half while DeRozan and White each had 12 at intermission.
San Antonio's 72 points over the first two quarters was its second-highest scoring half of the year, falling short only of the 74 it rang up in the second half against Boston on Dec. 31.
Oklahoma City stayed close thanks to Westbrook's 15 points by the break and 12 points from Grant.
Both teams turned up their defensive intensity in the third quarter and the scoring slowed, but the Spurs still managed to increase their lead to 92-78 heading into the final 12 minutes of play.
--Field Level Media