The San Antonio Spurs overcame a slow start to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 112-107 overtime victory. The Thunder held a seven-point lead going into halftime but San Antonio surged through the second half, even after the team announced Tony Parker would miss the second half with an ankle injury.
Spurs vs. Thunder final score, NBA playoffs 2014: San Antonio advances to NBA Finals with 112-107 overtime victory
The Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals for the second straight year.
Ronald Martinez
Russell Westbrook had an opportunity to give the Thunder a one-point lead with 43.9 seconds left in overtime, but Kawhi Leonard made a tremendous defensive play in transition. He stripped Westbrook during a layup attempt and Tim Duncan scored in the post on the other end to give the Spurs a three-point lead. Here's a GIF of the clutch defensive play from Leonard:
Duncan ended the night with 19 points and 15 rebounds. He led all scorers in overtime with seven points, providing the Spurs just enough scoring to get by the Thunder on the road.
Kevin Durant played a crucial role in the Thunder forcing overtime in the fourth quarter, but came up short again. He finished the night with 31 points. Russell Westbrook was efficient for Oklahoma City, slicing and dicing to the rim. He finished the night with a game-high 34 points and lived at the line, making 17 of his 18 free-throw attempts.
San Antonio's offense was rolling through the third quarter, scoring 37 points while Oklahoma City stalled. The Thunder turned the ball over eight times in the third, allowing the Spurs' offense to get into rhythm. Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard combined for 16 points during the Spurs' big run.
Leonard had a huge game for San Antonio, finishing with a double-double. He scored 17 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and shouldered the scoring responsibility with Parker out. Diaw finished the game with 26 points, stretching the Thunder’s defense and sinking his free-throw attempts.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Spurs and Miami Heat is June 5.
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