SAN ANTONIO– From the opening tip, the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs were on completely different wavelengths on Saturday night. The Spurs swung the ball crisply, knocked down shots whether they were open or not and locked down defensively to force the Thunder into misses. Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club couldn’t get anything going on offense, which meant it couldn’t set the defense and after less than a dozen minutes of that unfortunate combination, the rout was on.
Game 1 of the Thunder’s Round 2 matchup against the Spurs went completely opposite of the Thunder’s game plan, as they fell 124-92, left only with the realization that this one counts for just one loss in this best-of-seven series.
“Give San Antonio all the credit in the world. I thought they played very well,” Donovan said. “We need to play much better all the way around, collectively, than we did today.”
The shooting prowess of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge was the fuel to the Spurs’ fire in Game 1, and it started right out of the gates when the Spurs scored 43 first quarter points on 18-for-22 (81.8 percent) shooting. It was 6-4 Spurs after the first two minutes, but the Spurs ripped off a 24-6 run to build a 30-10 lead with 3:42 to go in the quarter on a Leonard fast break dunk.
“We started slow tonight. When you start slow against the best teams, that’s what happens,” Serge Ibaka said. “All we can do right now is learn from tonight and try to get better next game.”
Aldridge (15) and Leonard (12) combined to score 27 in the first quarter, and eventually an incredible 64 points combined on 28-for-36 shooting from the field on the night. The Thunder’s defense certainly wasn’t up to par, but give credit where it’s due – the Spurs hit shots from all over the floor, unlocking every part of their offense. Aldridge in particular was an absolute handful, pouring in 38 points on 18-for-23 shooting.
“We have to start better on him and try to be more aggressive as bigs,” Ibaka said of Aldridge. “We started a little softer as bigs. I’m going to take that responsibility tonight and try to do better next game.”
The Thunder’s goal on defense all season was to limit opponents’ shot attempts at the rim and at the three-point line. You wouldn’t know it from looking at the stat sheet, but for most of the night, the Thunder actually managed to execute on that. Through three quarters, when both teams’ regulars were still in the game, the Spurs had just 30 points in the paint on 22 attempts and just 12 three-point attempts.
The problem was that the Spurs hit just about everything in between the three-point line and the rim. In the first half, the Spurs shot 14-for-21 (66.7 percent) on non-paint two-point jumpers with just 18 points in the paint and a 6-for-8 mark from three. Through 36 minutes of play, the Spurs shot 20-for-29 (69.0 percent) on non-paint two-point jumpers. During the regular season, the Spurs made 42.5 percent of their mid-range shots.
“They got it going offensively and Aldridge was really a challenge tonight with how he shot the basketball,” Donovan said. “They kind of have every area of the floor covered offensively. They’re a terrific non-paint two shooting team. Aldridge certainly proved that tonight.”
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Typically, those are the types of attempts NBA defenses want to be giving up, but the Thunder didn’t do a good enough job of contesting them and the Spurs did an excellent job of making Donovan’s club pay. On the other end of the floor, the Thunder seemed to get bogged down on offense, unable to push the ball all the way to the rim against the size, length and positioning of Tim Duncan, David West and Aldridge. The Thunder shot just 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from the field in the first quarter, and 41.2 percent overall on the night. Durant went 6-of-15 from the floor in a 16-point, eight-rebound, six-assist performance in 33 minutes, while Westbrook shot 5-for-19 for 14 points and nine assists.
“Our spacing got congested and we didn’t have a great open floor like we needed to against them,” Donovan said. “Some of this was self-induced on us, and I also want to give San Antonio a lot of credit because they made it very hard on us and they played a great game.”
“They do a good job of helping. I always look at the help and see what’s the next move,” Westbrook explained. “I have to find ways to read the help a little bit better and make better decisions.”
Game 2 will be on Monday, and the Thunder will have a day of practice on Sunday to regroup, make some adjustments and erase this game from its consciousness. Having the mental fortitude to bounce back from this one and put together a better effort is essential for the Thunder as it looks to even up the series before it heads back to Oklahoma City next weekend.
“The guys in that locker room are pretty competitive. They’re going to want to come back and respond,” Donovan stated firmly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the Numbers
10 – Rebounds for Steven Adams on the night, a game-high, in just 25 minutes of action
19 - Points for Serge Ibaka on the night, a team-high on 8-for-15 shooting (3-for-6 from three)
60.7-41.2- Difference in shooting percentages on the night between the Spurs and Thunder
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The Last Word
“Mentally we have to still trust in us. We know we can do it.” – forward Serge Ibaka