Thunder beat short-handed Spurs

THUNDER 111, SPURS 92

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Russell Westbrook added 29 to help the Thunder defeat the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 111-92 on Saturday night.

Enes Kanter had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 15 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City, which won its seventh straight.

It wasn’t the late-season showdown that was anticipated when the schedule first came out — the Spurs rested Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

The game also had little effect on the standings: San Antonio is likely to finish second in the Western Conference and the Thunder are virtually locked into third. But the Thunder said it was important to maintain momentum.

David West and Jonathon Simmons each scored 17 points for the Spurs.

Westbrook scored 20 points in the first half to help the Thunder take a 48-44 lead into the break.

Andre Roberson hit a 3-pointer, then Westbrook rebounded a missed free throw and found Steven Adams running down the middle of the lane for a dunk. Westbrook then set Ibaka up for a dunk to push Oklahoma City’s lead to 69-56.

Westbrook uncorked a powerful one-handed jam to bump Oklahoma City’s lead to 74-59 late in the third quarter. Durant scored nine points in the period to help the Thunder take an 83-63 edge into the fourth.

AP/SUE OGROCKI Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, right, shoots Saturday over San Antonio Spurs guard Andre Miller, left, in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City.