The Oklahoma City Thunder were in regular season mode on Monday night as all five of their starters played over 25 minutes in the Spurs 102-111 loss, which brings the Spurs to 3-3 in preseason play.
While the Spurs led through most of the first half, the Thunder went on a 13-2 run in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter to close out the game.
Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook all played over 35 minutes while Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were limited under 27 minutes and Tim Duncan only played 12 minutes.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said playing time was the biggest difference in the game.
“Pop didn’t play their guys. We knew going into the game we were going to play our guys extended minutes,” Brooks said. “They didn’t have their guys in the fourth quarter and that made the difference.”
“I knew there was a chance that we would see the Spurs normal rotation guys extended minutes, but in preseason that’s just part of the game. We weren’t trying to out-do them,” Brooks said, “We were just trying to get some work in.”
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes.
Ginobili had the best game of his preseason with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Ginobili scored 15 of his points on three-pointers. Parker also scored 17 points to go along with six assists.
While George Hill’s shooting struggles continued, he also had his best game of the preseason. Hill finished the game with 12 points, six assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
The Spurs conclude their preseason at home against Houston on Thursday before they open up the 2010-11 season against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, October 27.
Note: The Spurs will have to set their roster on October 25, which means at least two more cuts are likely to come soon.
