San Antonio Drops One On The Road, Fall To Thunder

Nov 27, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Well, we finally lost.

After an 11 game win streak, the San Antonio Spurs lost at Oklahoma City. This marks the second loss of the season for San Antonio, while Oklahoma City remains undefeated in their home turf.The Spurs came out with an absolute horrid shooting performance, but still found a way to have a 21-19 lead heading into the second quarter.

As for the rest of the game, Oklahoma City practically took over. Positively, the Spurs defense still found a way to force the Thunder’s stars (Westbrook and Durant) into contested outside jumpers.

But then some problems started to arise.

Serge Ibaka turned away seemingly every shot. Ibaka was an absolute monster on the defensive end for Oklahoma City, as he finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

With Westbrook and Durant struggling, the bench picked up the slack. Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb got things going. Jackson finished with 23 points, while Lamb pitched in 12.

Excluding Boris Diaw, the Spurs second unit was horrendous. The second unit has been impressive for the majority of the season, but struggled against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As the third quarter began, the stars from the Thunder finally took over. While Westbrook only finished with six points, he was able the create for his teammates in the second half. As for Durant, he just played like, well, Durant. The reserves finally entered the game once more, and Reggie Jackson had no problem with Patty Mills’ defense. Pop subbed Danny Green back in, but it was a case of “too little, to late”.

Everything finally translated over to the fourth quarter. The Spurs battled back and cut the deficit to three, but had some costly turnovers that sealed the deal.

A Look on the Positive Side

The Spurs are on pace for 71 wins, just one win fewer than the 95-96 Bulls. The season is over.

— Project Spurs (@projectspurs) November 28, 2013

• Kawhi Leonard wasn’t fantastic in terms of shooting, but he did play solid defense on Kevin Durant. You have to feel better about Kawhi moving forward.
• The Spurs still the top record in the west.
• Manu Ginobili had trouble with the three, but still was fearless while taking it to the hole.
• The Spurs take on Orlando tomorrow. You have to feel bad for Orlando.
• Kendrick Perkins had two points.

That does it for this recap. Stay tuned for coverage of Orlando-San Antonio tomorrow. Until then, have a great Thanksgiving.