THE SAN ANTONIO Spurs drew first blood in their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night.
After trailing by nine points (71-62) at three-quarter time, the Spurs roared into action with an astonishing 39-point final term to run out 101-98 victors in Game 1 at the AT&T Center.
The result extended San Antonio’s remarkable winning streak to 19, the fourth-longest in NBA history, and if they win Game 2 on Tuesday they will become just the fourth team ever to string 20 victories together. Manu Ginobili came off the bench to top score for the winners with 26 points on 9-14 field shooting.
The Argentine was ably assisted by veteran forward Tim Duncan who racked up a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) while Tony Parker registered 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in an impressive all-round performance. Kevin Durant starred for the visitors with 27 points and 10 rebounds while James Harden (19 points), Russell Westbrook (17) and Derek Fisher (13) all contributed to the losing cause.
Game 2 of the series is in San Antonio tomorrow. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics will take place tonight.
