The San Antonio Spurs demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-77, to take a 2-0 series advantage in the Western Conference Finals. The 35-point victory was the largest for the Spurs this postseason, and this loss was the Thunder's worst in the playoffs since moving to Oklahoma City.
Danny Green's hot postseason shooting continued as he knocked down 7 of 10 from three-point range and scored 21 points. Tony Parker sliced and diced the Thunder defense to the tune of 22 points and five assists. The Spurs racked up 27 assists, scored 54 points in the paint and shot 50.0 percent from the field.
NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 15 points each, but they combined to shoot just 13-of-40 overall and 1-of-9 from three. Westbrook didn't attempt a single free throw and posted a team-worst -34 in one of the more forgettable performances of his career. The Thunder shot just 39.3 percent overall and 2-of-20 from three.
Early on, it looked like Game 2 would be a bit more competitive than Game 1. Although San Antonio got off to another hot start in the paint and jumped out to a six-point lead, Oklahoma City had an answer thanks to its reserves. The trio of Reggie Jackson, Caron Butler and Steven Adams provided some production off the bench, which actually gave the Thunder a two-point advantage after the first quarter.
Oklahoma City maintained a small lead at the outset of the second quarter before San Antonio closed the half on a 25-8 run to take control of the game. Green buried multiple threes to key the run, with one of them coming off a ridiculous pass from Manu Ginobili:
The 25-8 run put the Spurs up by 14 points at the half, and they proceeded to blow the doors off the Thunder in the third quarter. As Oklahoma City's offense went completely in the tank, San Antonio put on a clinic, extending the lead out to 29 heading into the fourth quarter. The Spurs outscored the Thunder, 67-36, over the second and third quarters.
The final frame was an afterthought, and the Spurs will go into Oklahoma City with a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The Thunder came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the Western Conference Finals in 2012, but that team had a healthy Serge Ibaka and James Harden. It's hard to imagine much changing in this series going forward, but if Durant and Westbrook get going, perhaps it could become competitive.