Thunder Only Happens in San Antonio

Getty Images

The Thunder flipped the script, and now they’re heading to the Western Conference finals. 

Kevin Durant scored 37 points, Russell Westbrook added 28, and Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 113-99 on Thursday night to win the Western Conference semifinal series 4-2.

Oklahoma City lost 124-92 in Game 1, but first-year coach Billy Donovan led the Thunder to victory in four of the next five. Oklahoma City controlled Game 6, leading by as many as 28 points.

Westbrook said the Thunder never lost confidence.

“We had that game, and we left it behind us,” he said. “We came out after that and had a different mindset. We knew what we had to do to win the series. They’re a great team. They’ve been winning for 10-plus years, same pace. I’m just proud of our guys.”

Steven Adams had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Roberson added 14 points for the Thunder. Oklahoma City now will face defending NBA champion Golden State, starting Monday in Oakland, California.

“Golden State’s a great team,” Donovan said. “It will be a great challenge. We’ve got a little bit of time to prepare before we play, but right now, for us, it’s just to enjoy the opportunity to move on, get a chance to continue to play and get as prepared as we can going into Game 1.”

The Spurs were trying to extend the winningest season in franchise history after going 67-15. The 40-year-old Duncan struggled for much of the series before scoring 19 points as San Antonio tried to fight back in the fourth quarter.

Duncan didn’t clear anything up about his future after the game. He has a player option for next season.

“I’ll get to that after I get out of here and figure life out,” he said.

Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 for the Spurs. San Antonio lost just once at home during the regular season, but the Thunder beat the Spurs twice in San Antonio during the series.

In Game 6, Oklahoma City opened up a 47-29 lead late in the second quarter after a three-pointer by Westbrook that brought a roar from the crowd. Durant’s 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in the half pushed the lead to 55-31 at the break. Durant scored 18 points in the first half and Westbrook added 13.

The Thunder looked like the Spurs often do in the first half, running an efficient offense while committing just three turnovers.

It was a season-low point total for the Spurs in a first half. San Antonio shot 31.1 percent from the field before the break and missed all nine of its 3-pointers.

“I thought they did a great job of coming out and punching us in the stomach,” Leonard said. “But we got some open looks that didn’t go down, turned over the ball a couple of times, and that’s all on me.”

Oklahoma City kept the pressure on and led 91-65 at the end of the third quarter.

The veteran Spurs had one last surge left and got as close as 11, but a three-pointer by Westbrook, then a driving layup by Westbrook, killed San Antonio’s momentum for good.

“We always give credit to our opponents, and obviously, OKC turned it up there and turned our execution into forced bad shots, and then we kind of trickled down from there and it snowballed,” Duncan said. “We put ourselves in the hole. We actually played somewhat solid for the second half but it was too little, too late.”

Related articles

• Billy D nabs first NBA playoff series win
• Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant Eliminate Dallas from the Playoffs (VIDEO)
• Durant: Cuban is 'an idiot' for saying Westbrook was not a superstar
• NBA Playoff Capsules
• Mavericks Hang Tough But Fall Short Against Thunder
• NBA's Thunder roll over Mavericks, Clippers' Paul breaks hand

Parker Spurs San Antonio in Boston

Getty Images

San Antonio's Tony Parker went from a proficient point guard to a prolific scorer to outduel Boston's Rajon Rondo.

In a battle of two of the league's elite point guards, Parker scored a season-high 26 points and chipped in six assists to carry the Spurs to a 112-100 victory over the defensively challenged Celtics on Wednesday night.

Parker knew he'd need to elevate his play against Rondo.

"Definitely. It's always a good challenge," Parker said. "Rondo is one of the best in the NBA, and every time you play one of the best, you want to be aggressive. Rondo had a great game, too, so it was a good battle of point guards."

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and reserve Tiago Splitter added a season-high 23 points, many coming when the Spurs took charge late in the third and early in the fourth.

Duncan could see that Parker was looking to score more.

"He's been missing a lot of shots that he usually makes and he just made them tonight and that was kind of the difference," he said. "He made his floaters, he made his in-betweens and that opened up the floor for a lot of us. More than just being aggressive, I think he's just kind of trying to get his shot back and trying to feel good about it."

Rondo had 22 points and extended his consecutive streak of double-digit assist games to 35 with 15. Paul Pierce, who sprained his ankle in a 20-point loss at Detroit on Sunday, had 19 points.

It was the fourth straight game Boston (6-6) has allowed more than 100 points.

"We shot 53 percent and the reason we were there is because our offense allowed us to stay there," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "But to me, that was fools' gold because the way we were playing defense, you're not going to get a stop, you're not going to win a game."

DeJuan Blair chipped in with 12 points for the Spurs (9-3), but it was Parker's play that led to the win.

"This was his best game in a while," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He hasn't really scored, he hasn't been aggressive for whatever reason. He's known it and he's tried to work through it and put a finger on it, but tonight he played a complete game."

Brandon Bass scored 16 and Kevin Garnett 14 for the Celtics, who managed just one offensive rebound and lost for the third time in four games.

Boston hopes to get its defense fixed before it faces Oklahoma City, another Western Conference power, at home on Friday, and Garnett knows the team's defensive reputation has taken a hit.

"It damages it a little bit. But you know what? It's not going to be the first time," he said. "Good offenses always get the best of a better defense, I feel."

The Spurs closed the third quarter with a 6-0 run, with Splitter getting a pair of baskets, to take an 82-74 lead.

They opened the fourth by scoring eight of the initial 10 points to open their biggest lead at that point, 90-76 on Splitter's three-point play with just under 10 minutes to play.

Splitter's two free throws increased it to 94-78 with 8:41 to go.

Boston closed the gap to nine, but the Spurs had a pair of easy driving baskets by Parker to maintain a comfortable margin.

That was until Rondo answered with a long jumper from the right corner off his own steal and a spinning bank shot, closing it to 104-98 with 3:17 left.

But that was as close as Boston would get.

Duncan had five points during a 9-0 spree that gave the Spurs a 69-60 edge midway into the third quarter. Boston then scored seven of the next nine, closing it to two on Pierce's 3 from the right wing.

Rondo was responsible either with an assist, a basket or a pass for all the Celtics' 23 points in the opening 8 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. He had eight assists, two baskets and fed Pierce, who got fouled in the lane before hitting two free throws.

In the quarter, the Celtics' playmaker had eight assists and two baskets -- accounting for all but one of Boston's buckets -- Jeff Green's drive.

In the first half, Parker dominated Rondo, scoring 15 on 7-for-10 shooting.

Neither team held more than a four-point lead until the Spurs scored 14 of the final 20 points in the first half to take a 56-48 edge into the break. Danny Green nailed a 3-pointer in the middle of the streak, giving him 30 straight games with at least one 3, the league's longest current streak.

Related articles

• NBA Great Debates: San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker vs. Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo
• Parker, Duncan carry Spurs past Celtics, 112-100
• Parker scores 26 in Spurs' win over Celtics
• Parker, Duncan Carry Spurs Past Celtics, 112-100
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics: Postgame Grades and Analysis
• Spurs take care of Celtics

Oklahoma City Win Western Finals

Kevin Durant had 34 points and 14 rebounds while playing all of regulation for the first time all season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed a spot in the NBA Finals by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-99 on Wednesday night.

Russell Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who trailed Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals by 18 in the first half and erased a 15-point halftime deficit before pulling ahead to stay in the fourth.

Durant grabbed the final rebound, dribbled the ball across halfcourt and raised his right fist to celebrate with a sold-out crowd. The franchise will play for the NBA title for the first time since 1996, before relocating from Seattle.

Tony Parker had 29 points and 12 assists for San Antonio, but only eight of the points and two assists came in the second half. Tim Duncan chipped in 25 points and 14 rebounds, and

Stephen Jackson scored 23.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be Tuesday night in Oklahoma City against either Boston or Miami. The Celtics lead that series 3-2 and can earn a trip to the Finals with a win at home in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Thunder took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter, getting nine of their first 13 points on free throws as the fouls started to pile up for San Antonio -- six on the defensive end and three on the offensive end in the first 7 minutes.

Derek Fisher and James Harden hit 3-pointers in a three-possession span to increase the lead to 99-93 with 3:13 remaining, and Oklahoma City held on from there.

Jackson, who had made his previous six 3-pointers, and Parker both missed 3s that would have gotten the Spurs within 103-102 in the final minute.

Durant celebrated even before the final buzzer, hugging his family seated courtside after a foul was called with 14 seconds remaining. The Thunder became the NBA's 15th team to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a seven-game series, doing it against a team that had won 20 games in a row.

The Spurs put up quite a fight, at least for the first half.

Parker, who had been largely bottled up ever since the Thunder put 6-foot-7 defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha on him in Game 3, was back at his best right from the start. Parker made seven of his first nine shots, wiggling into the lane for runners and layups while also setting up his teammates.

Parker had a hand in the Spurs' first 12 baskets, making seven on his own and assisting on the other five, before Kawhi Leonard and Jackson followed his three-point play by nailing back-to-back 3-pointers for a 34-16 advantage in the final 2 minutes of the first quarter.

The Spurs were 9 for 15 on 3-pointers in the first half, many of them wide open, and maintained their lead right up until Durant's 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left got Oklahoma City within 63-48 at halftime.

The Thunder stormed right back with an 11-2 run to start the third quarter and eventually pulled ahead after Durant's 3-pointer from the top of the key made it 79-77 with 1:41 left in the period.

After shooting 55 percent in the first half, San Antonio went only 7 for 22 in the third quarter and clung to an 81-80 lead heading into the fourth.

San Antonio missed nine of 11 3-pointers in the second half.

San Antonio Suffer KD Blitz

OSM APP

Kevin Durant scored 27 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the brink of the NBA Finals, beating the San Antonio Spurs 108-103 in Game 5 on Monday night and moving within a victory of a series knockout.

Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in a wildly entertaining Western Conference finals. Looking invincible while carrying 20-win streak a week ago, the Spurs have lost three straight and are on the verge of a stunning collapse.

Manu Ginobili scored 34 in a smashing return to the starting lineup. But trailing 106-103 and the Spurs down to their last shot, Ginobili missed an off-balance 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Game 6 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder can punch their ticket to the NBA Finals in the place they haven't lost all postseason.

They're bringing home just what they needed: the must-win on the road if they're going to pull this series out.

Oklahoma City pulled it off behind their stars. James Harden scored 20, joining Durant and Westbrook as the only Thunder players in double figures.

Harden hit the biggest shot, draining a 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds left that pushed Oklahoma City's lead to five. He admitted afterward that the ball was supposed to go to Durant but had no choice but to let go with the shot clock winding down and Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard in his face.

"The shot clock was running down and I had to make a play," Harden said. "Leonard was playing great defense on me. I just shot it with confidence. West Conference finals -- that's a big shot."

Tony Parker had 20 points and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

After remaining unbeaten for 50 days before arriving in Oklahoma City, San Antonio has lost three games in five day. They now must win two straight to avoid seeing their last best chance to win in a title in the Duncan era end.

"Championship teams win on the road," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Oklahoma City just did that."

It's the first time the Spurs have lost three in a row all season.

"That was a total team effort," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Everybody did their job. I thought we played as hard as we can play."

Durant scored 22 of his points in the second half. Westbrook also had 12 assists.

Not wanting the series to slip away, Popovich moved Ginobili to the starting lineup in place of Danny Green, who came in shooting a combined 8 of 28 in this series. It was the first start for Ginobili since March and just his eighth all season.

Green's days as a starter began looking numbered after Game 3. He couldn't save his job before leaving Oklahoma City -- Green shot 4 of 12 in both losses combined -- and Popovich couldn't wait any longer with the series tied and the season in the balance.

Out with the undrafted swingman who barely made training camp, and in with the former All-Star.

The switch wasn't announced until after Popovich met with reporters, with whom he refused to discuss any possible lineup changes. But pulling this big an adjustment this deep in the season likely didn't come easy for the NBA coach of the year.

The gambit drew mixed results. It looked like a no-brainer with Ginobili leading all scorers at halftime with 14, but new rotations for the Spurs made for rocky possessions. None more so than in the second quarter, when the Spurs shot 38 percent and trailed by as much as 14 before coming back in the second half.

Ginobili finished 11 of 21 and made half of his 10 3-point attempts. But with 4.9 seconds left, the one he needed most clanked off the back of the rim.

"We wanted to get Manu the 3," Popovich said.

Thunder Road in Game Four

OSM news app

Spurs Lose Energy in Oklahama

Kevin Durant scored 22 points, Thabo Sefolosha set playoff career-bests with 19 points and six steals, and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped San Antonio's 20-game winning streak by beating the Spurs 102-82 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night.

Oklahoma City closed its series deficit to 2-1 and will host Game 4 on Saturday night.

Sefolosha threw a wrench in the Spurs' well-oiled offense at the start, getting four steals in the first 3 minutes. The Spurs ended up committing a postseason-worst 21 turnovers and scoring their least points all season.

Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson led the Spurs with 16 points apiece. Tim Duncan had 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting, taking 11 of San Antonio's first 25 shots as the offense went through the All-Star centre instead of Parker.

San Antonio had been averaging 109.4 points during its month-and-a-half winning streak and had been held to double digits only twice.

The Spurs, who already set an NBA record for the longest winning streak carried over from the regular season into the playoffs, were trying to match the league mark for most wins to start the postseason. The Lakers won 11 straight to start the 1989 and 2001 playoffs, getting swept in the NBA finals the first time and winning it all the second.

The Spurs' last loss was to the Lakers at home on April 11.

Parker and Duncan didn't play in the final 15 minutes, and coach Gregg Popovich pulled the plug after another series of three straight turnovers allowed the deficit to reach 23 points early in the fourth quarter.

Sefolosha had a right-handed dunk off a lob pass from Russell Westbrook, who followed with his own two-handed jam on an alley-oop pass and Sefolosha followed with a reverse layup on another turnover-fueled fast-break chance to push the lead to 86-63 with 9:48 left.

The Thunder put together another 9-0 run coinciding with Manu Ginobili coming out of the game, and featuring Serge Ibaka sticking his tongue out after nailing a jumper from the top of the key. Coach Scott Brooks soon followed suit and pulled his own front-line players with the game well in hand.

The Spurs wiped out a 24-point deficit in Game 3 against the Clippers in Los Angeles in the last round, but they weren't recovering in this one.

San Antonio managed only 24 points in the paint after averaging 46 through the first two games of the series and 47.8 through the playoffs.

Oklahoma City already held a 28-8 scoring edge in the paint while taking a 54-41 halftime lead and it never got better for San Antonio, which couldn't get any closer than 11 points in the second half.

The Thunder scored the game's first eight points, feeding off Sefolosha's steals, but San Antonio recovered in time to take the lead with more than 5 minutes left in the opening period.

Oklahoma City took the lead early in the second quarter and there was no looking back.

Sefolosha set up Ibaka's two-handed dunk and hit a 3-pointer during a 13-1 run, with San Antonio's only point coming on a free throw by Ginobili after Durant was called for a technical foul while arguing a call from the bench.

Oklahoma City's lead ballooned to 15 when Kendrick Perkins grabbed Westbrook's airball and dunked it with two hands.

Parker Spurs Game 2 Thunder

Tony Parker scored 34 points, Manu Ginobili added 20 and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who won 19 straight before losing to Philadelphia in the first game of the finals.

Those Lakers went on to win the championship and there's no reason yet to think the Spurs won't do the same. They put on an offensive clinic for three quarters, shooting 60 percent from the field and leading by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

Parker finished with eight of the Spurs' 27 assists, and San Antonio went 11 for 26 from 3-point range. The Spurs went only 10-for-23 from the field in the fourth quarter and still shot 55 percent for the game.

"Sometimes, it's exactly as we drew it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the offense. "Other times, it's a miracle, and that's the truth. It doesn't always go exactly the way you planned. Good players get it done."

The Thunder made a late surge to get within six points, but Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan helped San Antonio finish off the Thunder for a 2-0 lead heading into Game 3 Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Kevin Durant had 31 points and James Harden rebounded from a rough Game 1 to score 30 for the Thunder, who have lost two straight for the first time since early April. Oklahoma City dropped to 15-4 in games after losses this season.

"Our guys played hard," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Unfortunately, we came away with nothing the last few days."

San Antonio picked up where it left off from the 39-point fourth quarter that turned Game 1 on Sunday. With sharp passes and hot shooting, the Spurs jumped to a 19-9 lead after the Thunder missed six of their first seven shots and had three turnovers in the first 4 minutes.

The Spurs shot 52 percent (12 for 23) in the opening quarter, though, and led 28-22. Durant was on the bench at the start of the second quarter, and Parker and the Spurs put together a 14-4 spurt to stretch the gap to 13 points.

Russell Westbrook hammered Parker's arm on a drive and he crumpled to the court. That didn't faze Parker, who scored the Spurs' next seven points to keep San Antonio rolling.

The Spurs shot 58 percent (22 of 38) and had 13 assists in the first half. They also cut down their turnovers, committing only six in the first half after giving away 14 in the first two quarters of Game 1.

"You never go out and say, `We're going to start out fast," Popovich said. "You don't know what is going to happen. You just want your team to be aggressive. Good teams are aggressive and it is, it's a matter of making shots or not making shots."

The Spurs resumed picking apart Oklahoma City's defense with precision passes after the break, scoring on five straight possessions. San Antonio was shooting 63 percent from the field and 64 percent from 3-point range at one point (7 for 11).

The biggest cheer from the crowd came after Ginobili flipped a behind-the-back pass to Parker in the corner for another 3 and the lead ballooned to 78-58.

Late in the third quarter, the Thunder began intentionally fouling Tiago Splitter, a 32 percent free-throw shooter during the playoffs.

That backfired, too. Splitter went 5 for 10 over a 54-second span before Popovich replaced him with Duncan, and Oklahoma City trailed by the same margin -- 16 -- that it did when Brooks called for the "Hack-a-Splitter" strategy.

It may not have showed on the scoreboard, but the Spurs seemed to lose their edge after that.

"There's a reason why you do it, to kill the rhythm," Parker said. "I think it got us out of our rhythm."

Parker returned with 10:58 left and San Antonio leading 92-78, but he was shaky on offense for the first time. Gary Neal promptly curled around a screen and swished a 3-pointer, the Spurs' 10th of the game.

Parker, Ginobili and Duncan were on the court together at the 8-minute mark, after the Thunder cut the deficit to eight. Ginobili's floater in the lane was only the Spurs' third field goal of the fourth quarter and put San Antonio up 99-89.

The Thunder had the deficit down to six with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Spurs missed 12 of 15 shots during one stretch, but Parker hit an off-balance, high-arcing jumper with 3:39 left for a 107-96 lead and San Antonio controlled the game from there.

At least now, the Thunder get to return home, where they went 26-7 in the regular season. But only 14 teams in NBA playoff history have overcome 2-0 deficits to win series, and the Spurs show no signs of letting the Thunder back in it.

Thunder Forecast for San Antonio

OSM is a subscription service

Clippers Clean Sweep for San Antonio

San Antonio Leave LA 3-0

Tim Duncan scored 19 points helping engineer San Antonio defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 96-86 on Saturday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

"We didn't plan on being down that much," said Duncan, who at 36 is hungry to win the team's fifth NBA championship and first since 2006-07. "We stuck with it."

Led by Tony Parker's 23 points and his defense on an ailing Chris Paul, the Spurs kept running their plays even as Blake Griffin's early offensive assault buried them in a huge hole. Griffin missed three shots in the first half, when he scored 20 points and carried his team to a 24-point lead despite a left hip injury and a sprained right knee.

"They came out like we expected, very strong. Blake was making crazy shots," Parker said. "We just took our time. It's a long game, a very long game. At halftime, we were very calm."

Griffin had 28 points and 16 rebounds, and reserve Mo Williams added 19 points for the Clippers, who face some daunting NBA history heading into Game 4 on Sunday at Staples Center. No team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

"If we don't play with that sense of urgency, it's not going to be pretty," Griffin said.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 14 points and Manu Ginobili 13 to help the top-seeded Spurs win their 17th in a row and improve to 7-0 in the playoffs.

"We all struggled in the first quarter. We didn't feel right out there," said Duncan, who like his teammates, looked to Parker to pick the team up.

"We follow his lead. He stuck with it, made some big shots down the stretch and continued to attack," Duncan said. "He was playing defense really hard and got up into Chris."

Besides Parker, the Spurs threw two other defenders at Paul. He finished with 12 points and 11 assists after two previous sub-par efforts in the series.

"Tony really ran the show well," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I'd say, 'Let's do this' and he said, 'No, let's do this,' and we'd do it."

After a quiet first half in which he scored eight points, Duncan helped the Spurs control the third quarter when they outscored Los Angeles 26-8.

The Spurs took their first lead during the 24-0 run on a fadeaway jumper by Duncan, who scored nine points in the outburst that put them ahead for good. Danny Green added seven and Leonard five.

"We kept telling Kawhi and Danny to stay calm," Parker said.

The Clippers' defense completely faltered and they piled up miss after miss on the offensive end.

"When they spread the floor and Tim Duncan runs a high pick-and-roll, it's trouble for a lot of teams," Griffin said. "That's basically what killed us in the third. This is what they do best."

The Clippers scored the final four points of the third, which ended with a turnover by Williams, to trail 69-61 heading into the fourth.

"You knew they were going to make a run. It was just a matter of trying to withstand it," Griffin said. "In the second half, especially the third quarter, we did a poor job of responding.

"I missed some shots I hit in the first half, easy shots."

San Antonio led by 11 points early in the fourth before the Clippers got within seven on consecutive baskets by Williams. Gary Neal hit a 3-pointer to launch a 13-9 spurt, capped by Parker's 3-pointer, that extended the Spurs' lead to 89-78. Paul, so dominant in the final period during the regular season, was limited to four points.

Reggie Evans, a defensive spark for the Clippers off the bench, missed 6 of 8 free throws in the final 3:42.

"They play the same whether they're up 20 or down 20," Griffin said of the veteran Spurs. "Their communication and rotations are so good. Offensively, they know exactly what they're going to do in every situation."

The Spurs were 9 of 22 from 3-point range, with Leonard hitting three.

Los Angeles came in 2-1 at home in the playoffs and 24-9 during the regular season. With their red-clad sellout crowd on its feet, the Clippers were still shooting 63 percent midway through the second quarter, when Griffin's one-handed dunk kept them ahead by 20 points.

The Spurs closed the half on a 15-5 spurt, with Parker and Ginobili scoring five each, to trail 53-43 at the break. Griffin missed just three of his 13 shots in the first half, when the Clippers controlled the boards and the paint.

The Clippers opened the game with a rush, outscoring the Spurs 33-11 while shooting 64 percent. Los Angeles ended the first quarter on a 20-2 run, including 14 in a row. Griffin scored 12 points in the spurt, hitting eight straight while the Spurs committed six turnovers and made just five of 20 field goals.

Spurs Take Two Game LA Lead

Tony Parker scored 22 points on his 30th birthday, Tim Duncan had 18 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the fading Los Angeles Clippers 105-88 on Thursday night, pushing their winning streak to 16 and taking a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

Chris Paul responded to his awful Game 1 with only a slightly better encore, scoring 10 points as the Clippers now head home desperate to steer out of what's starting to get the feel of a sweep.

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 20 points. His plan to manage his ailing knee so the All-Star would have enough steam for the fourth quarter proved moot, as both teams emptied their benches with another Spurs blowout assured.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The All-Star matchup of Paul vs. Parker went from a Game 1 bust to a lopsided mismatch that may have proved Paul is hurting more than he's letting on. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro says his star is still struggling with an aching hip and groin, even as Paul insists he's OK.

He again looked anything but. While Parker -- the last of the Big Three to finally hit the big 3-0 -- celebrated by more than tripling his seven points and dreadful 1 for 9 shooting in Game 1, Paul shot 4 of 9 and had just five assists.

At halftime, the third-place finisher in league's MVP voting had more personal fouls (3) than points (2), assists (2) or rebounds (2).

Duncan, on the other hand, stayed in a playoff time warp. At 36 years old and playing in his 182nd postseason game -- and with no contract beyond these playoffs -- Duncan turned in another solid performance that sometimes recalled the former MVP who was going for his championships in his prime rather than the old-timer who's chasing a fifth ring now.

He scored 14 points in the first half -- almost as much as the rest of the starting lineup -- and finished 9 of 14 shooting. Points in the paint weren't even close: the Spurs had 50, and the Clippers 18.

Boris Diaw added 16 points and Danny Green had 13 for the Spurs. Manu Ginobili scored 10 and was held scoreless in the second half.

Randy Foye was the Clippers' only other player in double digits, scoring 11.

If this keeps up, a near-historic postseason for the Clippers will end this weekend unless they figure out a plan fast.

This is only the third time in the woeful 41-year history of the franchise that Los Angeles' long-maligned "other" team has survived to the second round. Their momentum started with a stunning 27-point comeback on the road against Memphis in their playoff opener, but the Clippers haven't made a rally stick in San Antonio.

A bumbling start had the Clippers already down by 15 in the first quarter before clawing back with a 9-2 burst. Getting to within 46-42 at halftime had the Clippers' bench heading to the locker room clapping and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich storming off fuming.

Halfway through the third quarter, however, the lead was back to 16.

"There was a refocus of energy at halftime," Duncan said. "We came out understanding of what we had to do to finish this game."

It was another methodical Spurs dissection, yet they're not just sticking to what works. They're still tinkering. Popovich put Splitter alongside Duncan to begin the second half instead of Diaw, who won the starting job at centre once the playoffs began.

As the deficit deepened, so did the Clippers' frustration.

DeAndre Jordan seethed and slammed the ball when a missed rotation gave Green an uncontested 3-pointer that stretched San Antonio's lead to back to double digits in the third. Less than a minute later, Foye trotted upcourt shaking his head after Paul's fumbled dribble gave Kawhi Leonard a clear path for a breakaway dunk.

After another 3-pointer by Green -- this one pushing San Antonio's lead to 70-60 -- the turned-around Clippers looked so disjointed that Green darted back down and knocked the ball out of Paul's hands on the ensuing inbound.

San Antonio Tipped to Clip LA

Hours before turning 30 years old, Tony Parker grinned Wednesday as though his lowest-scoring playoff game since his early twenties was an early birthday gift from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Across town, Chris Paul wasn't in such high spirits.

The marquee Paul vs. Parker matchup was a scoring bust for both All-Stars in the Western Conference semifinals opener, which the San Antonio Spurs won 108-92 despite their playmaking point guard scoring just seven points on 1-of-9 shooting. Paul didn't shine any brighter, scoring six while going 3 for 13.

Paul finished third in the league MVP voting this season, and Parker was fifth. Yet heading into Game 2 on Thursday night, they're so far together being outscored by Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard.

"I didn't play effectively," Paul said Wednesday. "I've got to have a better game."

Parker's not beating himself up.

"From the beginning of the game, they wanted to take me out," Parker said. "Trapping me and forcing me to give the ball up. If they want to do that strategy, Timmy (Duncan) is going to have a lot of wide-open shots and all our shooters is going to have a lot of open shots."

And that underwhelming start to the headline matchup of the series?

"We basically cancelled each other out," Parker said. "Their strategy was to take me out, our strategy was to take Chris out, too. In the end, we made more shots."

That much was obvious as the Spurs tied a franchise playoff record with 13 3-pointers. Parker had 11 assists -- setting up many wide-open looks when the Clippers swarmed him in the lane -- but finished with his fewest points in a postseason game since 2003.

Those days were different: Duncan was already a two-time MVP in his prime and Parker was an unequivocal sidekick. Nine years later, Duncan is 36 and on the downside while everyone from coach Gregg Popovich to Manu Ginobili has acknowledged that these Spurs now belong to Parker.

Parker owned eight of San Antonio's nine highest-scoring individual games during the regular season and led the Spurs in scoring in 22 times. But armed with his deepest roster in 16 years and a bevy of shooters on the perimeter, Popovich isn't sweating his leading scorer being held to single digits.

"Good players take what's given, and Tony did that," Popovich said.

The Clippers don't have the same luxury -- particularly with Los Angeles banged-up and craving rest heading into what will be its seventh game in 13 days on Thursday night.

All-Star Blake Griffin said Wednesday his ailing left knee generally felt no better or worse than when the Clippers arrived in Texas this weekend after a physical seven-game series with Memphis. He also turned his ankle in Game 1 but said his knee remains the bigger impediment.

Griffin said he'll be more mindful in Game 2 of how the pain becomes worse as the game drags on.

"I have to do a little bit better job managing that so I have a little bit more left in the fourth, the third -- the second half, really," Griffin said.

He felt at least well enough after shootaround Wednesday to punt basketballs off his right foot into the arena rafters at the AT&T Center, including once drilling one high enough to hit Sean Elliot's retired jersey banner.

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said Paul is also still troubled by an aching hip and groin, even though Paul has insisted that his health is fine since the Grizzlies series ended. Del Negro said the Clippers need Paul to shoot better and control the tempo but acknowledged that his star is too banged-up to "just be Chris Paul" for the entire game.

Paul is averaging 21 points when the Clippers win in the playoffs, and 16 when they lose.

"He's got to pick his spots, I think," Del Negro said. "I don't think he's healthy enough to be as aggressive as I think he would like on either end of the floor. It didn't get worse yesterday, but there's really no time for the healing process because of the time element."

San Antonio Take Clippers Opener

Tim Duncan had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs, recharged after a weeklong layoff, wore down the busy Los Angeles Clippers to win Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series, 108-92 on Tuesday night.

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn't have the wind this time.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, who've won 15 in a row. It's the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

"It's the playoffs. It's going to be physical. We knew that coming in," Duncan said. "We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible."

Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest -- which is all the time they've had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn't even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling "80 percent" at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn't take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series -- All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul -- was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn't make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn't lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn't even need San Antonio's help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren't getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn't blow. When that didn't work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

"Tony!" Popovich snapped from the sideline. "Shoot!"

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year -- he was under control. But his frustrations didn't end there. He was 1-for-9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Subscription OSM news service