Aldridge, Spurs hold off Thunder for seventh straight home win

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SAN ANTONIO – LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the court on Thursday after exiting the Spurs’ game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night with a knee injury. His presence would lift the Silver and Black to a key home win.

Aldridge’s big night helped the Spurs hold on for a 103-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-32) at the AT&T Center. The win was the seventh straight home win for the Spurs and their seventh victory in their last nine contests.

Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: Aldridge, Patty Mills, and Danny Green.

The Good:

  • The Spurs got LaMarcus Aldridge on the floor after missing the second half of the Spurs’ loss to Washington on Tuesday with a knee contusion.
  • San Antonio’s win sees them own the tiebreaker over the Oklahoma City Thunder as both teams beat each other twice.
  • Danny Green and Patty Mills each had solid nights on the offensive end.
  • Dejounte Murray had his best game as a pro, going up against the explosive Russell Westbrook. Murray finished with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals.

The Bad:

  • Pau Gasol struggled offensively going 2-for-7 from the floor but he did pull down 12 huge rebounds.
  • San Antonio had trouble controlling the basketball as they turned the ball over 16 times on the night.

Three Standout Players:

     LaMarcus Aldridge: Even with a bad knee, LaMarcus Aldridge proved why he is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week and is the go-to man for the Silver and Black.

Aldridge posted 25 points and 11 rebounds on the night as he shot 47 percent from the field. The All-Star forward scored in a variety of ways as he slammed the ball down, scored from three, and his signature turnaround jumper over Steven Adams. There is no doubt the Spurs wouldn’t even be in playoff contention without LMA.

    Patty Mills: The fan favorite guard came up big on Thursday, particularly in the fourth quarter to lead the Silver and Black to victory.

Mills had 14 points and went 3-for-9 from three-point range. He would hit a pair of threes in the fourth quarter to extend the San Antonio lead to nine with just over four minutes to play. While the Aussie guard may have gotten some flak from fans but he shows he delivers when it matters the most.

     Danny Green: The former North Carolina Tarheel also picked things up on the offensive end, helping out Aldridge in the scoring column.

Green finished with 11 points on 44 percent shooting and finished 3-for-7 from three-point range. Green hit a huge 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to help extend San Antonio’s lead and over on the defensive end, he provided help on Paul George and Russell Westbrook late.

UP NEXT:

The Spurs are now 44-32 on the season and will return to the court on Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Houston Rockets (61-14) to the AT&T Center at 2:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday.

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