Thunder vs. Spurs: Score and Twitter Reaction from Christmas Day 2014

If there was any doubt that the Oklahoma City Thunder were getting their swagger back, a 114-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day shows they are headed in the right direction. Making the win even sweeter, they pulled it off without Kevin Durant, who is still battling a sprained ankle.  

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks talked about the honor and challenge of playing at San Antonio on Christmas Day, via Nick Gallo of NBA.com.

“We are excited about playing,” Brooks said. “It’s going to be a big test for us. San Antonio is the defending champ. They play great basketball and had a great game last night. I’m sure they’re ready to play.”

Since Russell Westbrook returned to the lineup on Nov. 28, the Thunder have gone 10-4. They are still two games under .500 after a disastrous start, though it was always going to be an uphill climb without their two superstars. 

Westbrook wasn't afraid to shoot the ball, amassing 28 attempts, but it's worth it when he's converting half of them en route to 34 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, five steals and creating plays like this one from the second quarter, via NBA.com:

Kevin Durant discussed some of the criticism that Westbrook endures, saying to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com that the All-Star point guard is doing what's in the best interest of the Thunder:

"

Who cares what people say? [He should] just play his game. From watching the last two games, he's the reason why we had a chance to win -- his aggressiveness, getting his teammates involved.

Sometimes it's kind of hard in those situations, knowing exactly what to do when teams are making runs and playing you different ways. But I think he's handled it well. Of course, he's not going to be great every game, but that's how the dice rolls sometimes. I think he's handled it well to lead the team like he's been doing.

"

Westbrook did that with aplomb on Christmas, stepping up early in the fourth quarter after the Spurs took a 93-91 lead. He scored on a drive to the basket, assisted on a Steven Adams dunk and scored on another penetrating layup that put Oklahoma City up, 97-93. 

The Thunder weathered several close calls in the game when it seemed like the Spurs were going to take control, but they kept battling and were able to get a huge win on the road.

Oklahoma City's aggressiveness made the difference, as the Thunder attempted nearly twice as many free throws as San Antonio. 

The Thunder needed that aggressive play to counter the Spurs' domination in the paint, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Adams had a breakout game primarily going against Tim Duncan. The second-year center was all over the glass with 15 rebounds, as Jim Park of SheridanHoops.com observed:

"

So Steven Adams is kind of owning Tim Duncan on the glass, which is a weird thing to say.

— Jim Park (@SheridanBlog) December 25, 2014"

Royce Young of ESPN.com did note that Westbrook's and Adams' plus-minus ratings should have made this game less dramatic at the end:

Even though the Spurs were able to keep the game close despite Westbrook and Adams going off, it's been a slow start to the season for the defending NBA champions. 

The Spurs have no excuse, as head coach Gregg Popovich had all of his key players in the lineup. Their problem on Thursday was distance shooting, hitting seven of 23 attempts from three-point range. Even though no one seems concerned about San Antonio, the loss keeps the defending champs in the Western Conference's No. 7 spot. 

One reason San Antonio struggled mightily in this game was Tony Parker. As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out in the third quarter, the Spurs' plus-minus was vastly superior when Cory Joseph was on the court:

The Spurs bench came up big in this game to give them a chance late. In addition to Joseph's value, Manu Ginobili had one of his most productive days distributing the ball, via ESPN Stats & Info:

Ginobili didn't attempt many shots (five), but he was masterful as a facilitator with 13 assists in the losing effort. This was the second straight game in which the Argentinian star had at least 10 assists. 

Oklahoma City's win moves it within two games of Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Given how many games the Thunder have been without Westbrook and Durant this season, everyone ahead of them should fear the run they will likely make in 2015. 

As for the Spurs, their outlook never seems to change because we are so accustomed to seeing them win 50 games and make playoffs. They haven't had as much success at either end of the court so far this season compared to 2013-14, scoring 2.4 fewer points and allowing 1.2 more points per game. 

Both teams should make the postseason, but this win showed that Oklahoma City's speed will cause the Spurs a lot of problems if the two meet in April or May.