Thunder 109, Spurs 103
OKLAHOMA CITY - Kevin Durant scored 18 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 109-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Thunder forward Serge Ibaka added a playoff career-high 26 points on 11-for-11 shooting to help Oklahoma City even the series at 2-2.
Game 5 is Monday night in San Antonio.
The Thunder was fueled by its second consecutive offensive explosion, courtesy of 56.4 percent shooting and 27 assists, which tied a season-high.
Durant dished out a game-high eight assists, and Thunder guard James Harden added seven assists to go with 10 points.
But Durant simply took over and delivered the Thunder this win.
The reigning three-time scoring champion scored 16 straight in the fourth quarter, using an array of jumpers and drives to almost single-handedly slay the Spurs.
Durant got rolling after Spurs forward Tim Duncan made a running hook with 6:54 left to play to pull San Antonio within 86-82.
By the end of Durant's eruption, the Thunder led 102-93 with 1:32 remaining.
Duncan scored a team-high 21 points with eight rebounds to lead six Spurs in double digits. Rookie Kawhi Leonard had 17 points with eight rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 13 points, Boris Diaw and Tony Parker had 12 points each and Stephen Jackson scored 11 off the bench.
The Thunder also got 15 points and nine rebounds from center Kendrick Perkins.
The Thunder led 55-43 at halftime behind an inspired effort by its big men. Perkins, Ibaka and Nick Collison combined to score 33 points on 15-for-17 shooting to pace OKC. They made up for slow starts by Westbrook, Harden and Durant, who combined to score 16 points on 5-for-17 shooting.
But it was the passing by the Thunder's big three that allowed their big men to be effective. Durant had four of his assists in the first half, while Harden tallied three and Westbrook dished out two. As a team, the Thunder registered 14 assists in the first half. The unselfishness led to wide-open looks and high-percentage shots. The Thunder shot 57.5 percent in the first half and used its defense to lead to offensive transition, as Oklahoma City outscored San Antonio 9-0 in fast-break points in the first 24 minutes.
The Spurs shot just 41.9 percent in the first half, largely because Parker was held in check for the second straight game. Parker scored just six points on 3-for-8 shooting and was unable to get his teammates involved unlike in previous games. He had just two assists in the first half, which went a long way in limiting San Antonio to just seven assists over that same span.
NOTES: Rapper Lil Wayne, who made headlines after Game 3 for claiming the Thunder denied him entry into the game, did not attend Game 4 despite Thunder players Kevin Durant and James Harden offering to host him. The team said the Grammy-winning musician was not denied access but that there were no floor seats left. Lil Wayne on Saturday said the decision was racial. ... Radio personality and producer Ryan Seacrest sat courtside for Game 4. Seacrest was a guest of Jeffrey Records, a part owner of the Thunder who Seacrest is friends with.
