The San Antonio Spurs spent the first eight minutes of the third quarter tearing the Oklahoma City Thunder limb from limb. Tony Parker continued to make shots and create easy shots for others while Russell Westbrook continued to get embarrassed defensively. Parker ended the third quarter with 26 points on 12-16 shooting and seven assists, and he didn't even do anything in the last four minutes.
That's because, on six consecutive trips down the floor, the Thunder committed non-shooting fouls on the Spurs. Implementing a Hack-A-Splitter defense was the only answer Scott Brooks had for the Spurs' offense in the third quarter. The Thunder intentionally fouled Tiago Splitter five straight times, and he only made both free throws on one of his trips to the line. He came out for Tim Duncan after the fifth trip to the line and Duncan was fouled behind the three-point arc on the ensuing trip down the floor.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, they haven't scored enough to turn their consistent fouling strategy into anything positive. The Spurs lead 92-76 at the end of the third quarter, and it's going to take something stunning for OKC to make this a contest. San Antonio had 37 points in the third quarter and are now shooting 60 percent from the floor on the night. Kevin Durant has 27 points on 9-14 shooting while Westbrook has 16 points on 7-16 shooting. Among those misses are an airballed three and a missed dunk. This has not been Westbrook's finest performance.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
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