Neither Tim Duncan or Tony Parker played over 30 minutes today against the Thunder. While Russell Westbrook was running wild, they tried their best to keep pace despite a tough past week that saw them lose back-to-back triple overtime games; the first time since 1951 it’s happened.
In the first half, Duncan and Parker were a combined 9-for-13 for 20 points and five assists. But the second half was a different story; the two went a combined 2-for-10 as the Thunder outscored the Spurs down the stretch for the 114-106 win.
But with a little under seven minutes to play, Duncan and Parker hooked up in precise fashion to stretch their lead to 93-89. First, they run Westbrook and Steven Adams ragged before Parker turns the corner into the paint and spots Duncan for the wide-open dunk:
Unfortunately, that bucket also marked the point in the game when OKC went on a 13-0 run that had them leading 102-93 before the Spurs scored again.
Parker and Duncan have run these actions thousands of times and always know where each other will be. While the play marked the end of the Spurs scoring for a while, it’s still beautiful basketball — perhaps the NBA Gods were penalizing them for their proficiency?
What do you think?
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