, who entered the game on a two-game winning streak.San Antonio (5-3) set a season high with 33 points in the opening quarter with Aldridge and DeRozan shooting a combined 8 for 12. Aldridge made eight straight baskets in the first half after missing his first attempt.Aldridge finished 19 for 23 from the field.Chris Paul had 19 points and five assists in 31 minutes.TIP-INSThunder: The Thunder's last win in San Antonio was Dec. 25, 2014. Russell Westbrook had 34 points and 11 assists in the 114-106 victory. ... Mike Muscala played one minute. Muscala has played just 22 minutes in five games after signing with the Thunder in the offseason.Spurs: Derrick White rode a stationary bike when he wasn't in the game to keep his back loose. White injured his back after falling to the court Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers following a foul by Dwight Howard on a layup attempt.UP NEXTThunder: Host Golden State on Saturday night.Spurs: Host Boston on Saturday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Nov 06, 2019The San Antonio Spurs traditionally stake their success on strong defense, but they have struggled to make consistent stops heading into Thursday's game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.The Spurs have dropped three of their past four, including Tuesday's 108-100 setback in Atlanta. That followed a 103-96 defeat at home to the Lakers in which Los Angeles shot 48.3 percent from the floor.DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points, Bryn Forbes had 17 and Patty Mills added 16 in Atlanta. The Spurs led by eight entering the fourth quarter but were outscored 38-22 as Trae Young, who went 5 for 10 beyond the arc, had 16 of his 29 points in the final period to burn San Antonio.The Spurs have yet to hold an opponent under 100 points this season. They also rank just 26th in steals (6.7 per game) and 15th in Defensive Rating (105.4) in the NBA, all un-San Antonio-like statistics."We haven't shot it well, but it's just all about us getting in a rhythm," DeRozan said. "Our understanding that we have to rely on our defense, then the offense will come around." Trey Lyles had a game-high 12 rebounds against Atlanta and is averaging 8.3 boards per game. He's another in a long line of players the Spurs seem to find that fit into key roles."Trey has been steady all year long and done everything we've asked him to -- just a real pro," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He doesn't do things that he can't and stays in his element." The Thunder travel south after a 102-94 win at home over Orlando on Tuesday night as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 24 points and Chris Paul added 20."We're sort of figuring it out, finding some sets that we like to go to," Paul said afterward.The win was the third time in seven games that the Thunder held their opponent under 100 points."We executed very well and then we defended really, really well coming down the stretch," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "I've seen significant growth and improvement from the guys." Steven Adams had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder in his return to the lineup after missing two games with a knee contusion. Oklahoma City, with Paul directing the show as usual, ran its offense through Adams in the post as much as possible."It's huge for us," Donovan told the Daily Oklahoman about having Adams back. "That's what we gotta do. We gotta throw him the ball so we can cut and move off of him a little bit more. There are times when we're wanting to hold it. We need to give it to him, cut, move, and let him kind of dictate the pick and roll." San Antonio has a 94-76 all-time record against the Thunder franchise, including a 63-23 edge at home.--Field Level Media
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