Thunder vs. Spurs: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

When Kawhi Leonard is cooking, there isn't much you can do but pray he cools down. 

On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-21) learned that lesson the hard way. 

Although the Thunder did well to battle back against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center following a horrendous first half, Leonard galvanized the San Antonio Spurs (37-11) down the stretch and handed them a 108-94 win to snap a two-game losing streak. 

Leonard finished with 36 points on 13-of-26 shooting to go with eight rebounds and four dimes, and buckets came in every form imaginable during a fourth quarter in which the Spurs outscored OKC 29-19: 

During Leonard's game-changing run in the closing stanza, Pounding the Rock's Quixem Ramirez offered an overview of how his contributions were perceived: 

LaMarcus Aldridge was also deserving of praise after he added 25 points, six rebounds and three blocks to stabilize a sometimes shaky San Antonio attack. 

However, the win wouldn't have been possible without some clutch bench contributions from Jonathon Simmons. 

Following a three-game absence due to a wrist injury, Simmons chipped in seven points, six rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench. He also logged a massive block early in the fourth quarter that set the tone for the rest of the frame, as the NBA documented on Twitter: 

On the flip side, the Thunder oscillated between electric and downright dreary on offense depending on whether Russell Westbrook (27 PTS, 14 AST, 6 REB) was in the game or not.  

Case in point: With Westbrook on the floor, the Thunder outscored the Spurs by eight points. But when his backup, Cameron Payne, was in, the Spurs outscored Oklahoma City by 27 points. 

Those inconsistencies were particularly evident early, when Oklahoma City's offense sputtered for key portions of the first half, as The Oklahoman's Brett Dawson explained: 

The Thunder were in dire straits after shooting 28.9 percent from the field over the game's first 24 minutes, and the Spurs mounted a 10-point lead at halftime despite knocking down an underwhelming 39.1 percent of their shots during that span. 

But as it turns out, the Spurs' inability to establish a bigger edge loomed large in the third quarter.  

Although they jumped out to an 18-point lead early shortly after halftime, Westbrook's brilliance fueled a 20-2 OKC run later in the frame that allowed the Thunder to move in front and keep a strange trend alive, according to Project Spurs' Paul Garcia: 

But unlike the last two games, the Spurs showed resolve despite squandering a double-digit edge. Not surprisingly, San Antonio's resurgence came with Westbrook on the pine, as ESPN.com's Royce Young observed: 

And while the Thunder boasted five double-figure scorers compared to San Antonio's two, Oklahoma City shot 35.3 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and turned the ball over 20 times. 

Against a powerhouse like the Spurs, those numbers won't fly. 

The good news, though, is that the Thunder will have a nice chance to get back on track Wednesday night when the controversy-laden Chicago Bulls pay a visit to Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

The Spurs will also have a favorable matchup the next time they step on the floor. Although the Philadelphia 76ers have been hot of late, they're expected to be without Joel Embiid (left knee contusion) on Thursday evening at AT&T Center, according to Michael Preston, Philadelphia's director of public relations.

Postgame Reaction

After the win, Aldridge spoke to NBA TV about how the Spurs were able to hunker down and snap their losing streak: 

Back in the locker room, Leonard discussed his late dominance, per the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young: 

Head coach Gregg Popovich later told reporters that he was pleased with the way Danny Green defended Westbrook and set the tone for a Spurs defense that needed to rebound in a big way. 

"He set the tone for us defensively and did a really good job on a great player," Popovich said, per the San Antonio Express-News' Melissa Rohlin. 

Speaking of Westbrook, OKC's point guard provided the following response after the Thunder failed to keep the ship afloat when he was on the bench. 

"I would play all night if I (could)," Westbrook said, per Dawson. "But obviously that’s not good for the long run. Just got to be able to trust other guys, and we have enough in this room to be able to come out and compete. "

On that note, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan told reporters his supporting cast will have to help balance out Westbrook's contributions moving forward. 

"For us to be the best team that we can possibly be, he cannot be Superman and rescue us from everything," Donovan said, per Dawson. "There’s gotta be some development and growth and improvement with a lot of these young guys."