Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The San Antonio Spurs plastered the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center, winning 130-91 in a dominant all-around performance.
Tony Parker tallied a game-high 21 points for the Spurs, who shot 58.0 percent overall and 61.9 from beyond the arc. Nine different San Antonio players nailed a triple.
The Spurs improved to 26-8 at home and moved back into the sixth spot in the Western Conference, edging a half-game clear of the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN Stats & Info noted that the Spurs have the second-best winning record between Feb. 27 and now:
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Smart's Blunt Game 1 Assessment
Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter kept the Thunder close for about 18 minutes, but Parker and Co. bolted away from Oklahoma City before the halftime buzzer.
San Antonio shot 27-of-43 in the opening 24 minutes, earning a 71-50 advantage at the break. The team's largest lead reached 44 points, which would have been the worst loss in Thunder history.
Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Andre Roberson were all sidelined for OKC.
| Russell Westbrook | B+ |
| Enes Kanter | B+ |
| Dion Waiters | C- |
| Steven Adams | D |
| Rest of Team | F |
| Tony Parker | A |
| Kawhi Leonard | A |
| Tim Duncan | A- |
| Boris Diaw | B+ |
| Rest of Team | A- |
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook: B+
The point guard's explosiveness and lateral quickness was on full display shortly after tipoff, attacking the rim and contorting his body to finish at awkward angles. In short, Westbrook was a treat to watch.
But Oklahoma City's biggest problem was its disastrous defense, which ended Westbrook's night midway through the third quarter. He racked up 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in just 26 minutes.
Enes Kanter: B+
Without a doubt, OKC acquiring Kanter was one of the best moves of the trade deadline. The power forward has become one of the most productive players on the roster, no matter if it's been short-handed. The Oklahoman's Anthony Slater pointed out that Kanter has already made team history:
He capitalized on the Spurs following Westbrook's every move, drifting out to take uncontested 18-footers and rolling to the rim for easy buckets. Plus, Kanter was a menace on the offensive glass, accounting for 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Westbrook and Kanter both played suspect defense at times, but on such an injury-riddled team, that's a negligible component because they're so valuable on the other end.
Dion Waiters: C-
The mercurial shooting guard wanted little to do with offense that didn't entail him hoisting a step-back, rainbow jumper or a trifecta. Dion Waiters netted 14 points, but as per the usual, he was so far removed from helping Westbrook out.
Oklahoma City will definitely not advance in the postseason unless Waiters can find a fit in the offense, because in an attack already strapped for weapons, one of its X-factors won't work in a unit.
Steven Adams: D
He slammed home one powerful dunk, but it was otherwise a rough outing for Steven Adams. The center was consistently bodied by Tim Duncan or Tiago Splitter, recording just four total rebounds.
What's more, Adams hit the floor hard and appeared to sustain a stinger in his previously injured right hand, though he admirably fought through the pain and remained on the floor, ending with four points.
Rest of Team: F
The Twitter account Thunder Obsessed compared the on-court performances of the teams' reserves:
Perry Jones hit just three of his 13 attempts, and Mitch McGary wasn't up to the physical challenge against the Spurs' bigs. The Michigan product managed eight points and seven rebounds.
D.J. Augustin and Steven Novak combined to shoot a meager 3-of-12 overall. For some reason, Anthony Morrow still cannot break into the depleted rotation, perhaps a coaching decision. The shooting guard registered six points in 17 mostly meaningless minutes.
San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker: A
San Antonio pushed the pace after every OKC possession, forcing Westbrook to signal for a help defender and giving Parker a better matchup more often. The Spurs were undoubtedly at their best when running in transition. Head coach Gregg Popovich credited Parker with leading the Spurs' "defensive game plan" as it relates to Westbrook, according to ProjectSpurs.com Paul Garcia:
Immediately after he entered with a four-point lead in the second quarter, Parker keyed a 10-0 run that spanned just 67 seconds and changed the course of the game. He ripped the Thunder for 21 points, six assists, six boards and three steals.
Kawhi Leonard: A
Kawhi Leonard was most valuable on the defensive glass, snatching rebounds, while Splitter occupied Kanter. The small forward even outran Westbrook on a fast break, which was a moderately impressive feat given the OKC guard's energy.
Leonard showed some excellent vision and dished five assists, connected on a buzzer-beating three-pointer and defended his way to a team-best plus-30 rating. Wednesday was just another example of how dangerous he can be in every facet of the game.
Tim Duncan: A-
Parker's early aggressiveness subsequently kept Duncan off the board, but the 38-year-old found his way into the box score shortly. Duncan grabbed six rebounds, helping limit Oklahoma City to four second-chance points before he exited for the night.
Duncan also drained a three-pointer. There's no analysis needed here. San Antonio simply made everything. He netted 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and swatted one shot.
Boris Diaw: B+
He's struggled throughout the 2014-15 campaign, but Boris Diaw abused McGary in the post. Although the point-forward was still off-target as a jump-shooter in the first half, Diaw poured in 12 points.
Westbrook picked on the Diaw-Matt Bonner frontcourt combination, which is something Popovich should seldom utilize moving forward. Nevertheless, Diaw nearly eclipsed his season high of 23 points, reaching 21 on a 9-of-15 clip from the field.
Rest of Team: A-
Splitter frustrated Adams throughout the night and took full advantage of being the recipient of drive-and-dish sequences. The 7-footer tallied nine points and a plus-13 rating in just 16 minutes. As a whole, including the bench, the Spurs simply dominated this matchup, as noted by Garcia:
Danny Green buried his first four field-goal attempts and chipped in 10 points along with two steals, while Marco Belinelli swished a pair of triples. Jeff Ayres and Patty Mills added 11 and 10 points, respectively, though largely in garbage time.
What's Next?
Oklahoma City (41-31) continues its road trip after a three-day break, battling the Utah Jazz (31-40) on Saturday, March 28. Fox Sports Oklahoma will broadcast the Western Conference meeting at 9 p.m. ET.
San Antonio (45-26) hosts the Dallas Mavericks (45-27) on Friday, March 27, looking to bounce back from a 101-94 loss to the Mavs on Tuesday. Fox Sports Southwest will televise the in-state rivalry at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Thunder hold a 2.5-game advantage on the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed in the West.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.
