The Thunder and Spurs are set to go head-to-head to open up Round 2 on Saturday afternoon with Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series live from the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Oklahoma City bounced the Dallas Mavericks in five games in Round 1, finishing them off on Monday with a 118-104 victory. San Antonio, meanwhile, swept away the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round, advancing with a dominant 116-96 triumph in Game 4 last Sunday, so they enter well-rested.
The Thunder are in the conference semis for the fifth time in six years and will look to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since a 2013-14 loss to the Spurs. San Antonio is in Round 2 for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and seeks a trip to the next round for the fourth time in five years.
Kevin Durant has paced Oklahoma City in points (28.2) and rebounds (8.2) per game this season, while Russell Westbrook led the team with 10.4 assists per contest. Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs with 21.2 points per game.
Offseason import LaMarcus Aldridge has been huge for San Antonio, scoring 18.0 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game this season.
"You've got to play both ends of the floor a little differently because he's an All-Star player," Durant said per ESPN. "He's a guy that can shoot over any shoulder, he can shoot from range, he can roll to the rim, so it's a different dynamic when you play a guy like that, and that's when you've got to be locked in and ready for anything."
Westbrook has played 12 playoff games against the Spurs and averages 22.5 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.
"He's got a lot of energy, he's super aggressive and obviously one of the best point guards in the league," Spurs guard Tony Parker said via ESPN. "It's just fun to play against him. He brings a lot of excitement to the game. It's always a great matchup."
Though the Thunder fell to the Spurs in the 2013-14 Western Conference Finals, they also handed San Antonio a six-game loss in Round 3 in 2011-12. The Spurs went 40-1 at home this season, with their only loss coming against the Warriors, who won an NBA-record 73 games this season.
Game Live Stream & Details
Matchup: Thunder at Spurs Game 1
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CDT)
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Radio: Oklahoma City (WWLS 98.1); San Antonio (1360 KTTX)
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds for this game can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
