Spurs have West title within reach

The San Antonio Spurs routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference finals. The Spurs, now with a 3-2 lead in the series, are just one win away from closing it out and moving on to the NBA finals. They employed solid basketball fundamentals and smooth team play to overcome OKC’s duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Both teams kept pace with each other at the beginning, with neither giving the other any edge as they ended the first period in a high-scoring 32-32 deadlock. San Antonio pulled away in the second quarter with Manu Ginobili leading the charge off the bench. San Antonio took their 65-55 halftime advantage and did not look back. Tim Duncan was once again a force to be reckoned with in the paint as he anchored his team’s offense. The second half of the game was all Spurs as the Thunder faded with each passing quarter.

The Spurs got huge games from their “old reliables” Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Duncan finished with a double-double performance, scoring 22 points (8-13 from the field, 6-7 from the line) and grabbed 12 boards. Manu was his usual offensively dynamic self, contributing from all over the court. He ended up with 19 points (3 triples), 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Tony Parker had a relatively quiet outing with 12 points and 4 assists.

Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and handed out 7 assists and Kevin Durant scored 25 points, but their combined effort was not enough to overcome the Spurs, which had six players hit double figures. Reggie Jackson was the only other Thunder to score in double digits with 11 points. Serge Ibaka disappeared last night. The Thunder’s “third threat” was limited to just 6 points and 2 rebounds for the game.