![]() The hyper-athletic point guard was stifled by Kawhi Leonard and several others in Game 1, but he returned with a clear attack mindset and a willingness to create plays when none presented themselves. OKC's energy boost also appeared at the offensive end, especially as evidenced by the play of Russell Westbrook. They began the game making just one of 13 field goal attempts, a very poor conversion rate caused by both their own decision-making and a much-improved effort from the Thunder. Saturday's 43-point first quarter was followed by 21 in Monday's opening period, although that figure alone does not communicate the Spurs' early struggles. It looked clear early that Game 2 would be very different, in part because the Spurs offense looked decidedly less crisp in the minutes following tipoff. Instead, the OKC win gives them home-court advantage and new life in a series that began Saturday with an overwhelming performance by San Antonio. ![]() A team known for late-game execution errors made several crucial mistakes in the final 20 seconds - some called, some not called - and very easily could have handed the Spurs a 2-0 lead. On the other side, the Thunder should feel relieved that they escaped Monday night with the win. ![]() Just look at the scoring chance they had: He's probably right to note that San Antonio mistake, because we've grown accustomed to the Spurs succeeding in moments like this one. Ginobili seemed most focused on that fact, specifically lamenting that he and his teammates had not taken advantage of the turnover that followed Waiters's curious action. What we know for sure is that the Thunder's series-tying win will not be reversed. That official answer might not involve a fine or suspension for Waiters - it could just be a note in the "Last Two Minutes" officiating report - but there will be something. What seems certain is that this play will be discussed at least until Friday's Game 3 and will receive some kind of response from the league. (The rules state it should be a turnover on Waiters and perhaps also a technical foul for unnecessary contact, though the latter is up to the referees.) A few of the involved parties seemed confused, too - Gregg Popovich responded to a press-conference question by saying "something certainly happened" (perhaps to avoid a fine), Billy Donovan played dumb, and Ginobili said something wrong had occurred but didn't know exactly what kind of whistle should have blown on Waiters. Ginobili and others have stretched the rules in this fashion many times before without such a response. On the other hand, it's tough to argue that shoving an opponent is a suitable response to that infraction. ![]() This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. There are replays in the video above, but here's another look: As TNT commentator Chris Webber immediately exclaimed and replays showed, Waiters elbowed Ginobili near the top of his chest to create space. Those were secondary concerns right after the buzzer, though, because all anyone wanted to talk about was Waiters's interaction with Ginobili right before his pass to Durant. It was just the second loss for the Spurs in 45 games at the AT&T Center this season and registers as particularly incredible given their dominance in Saturday's Game 1. The scramble for the ball in the aftermath of Patty Mills's three ate up the final seconds to help the Thunder grab a 98-97 win that evens up the series at 1-1. The Spurs had a 3-on-2 break that looked likely to finish in a go-ahead basket, but it was not to be: Dion Waiters struggled to get the ball in against pressure from Manu Ginobili and finally lobbed a high-arcing pass for Kevin Durant, who lost his footing first and the ball second for a Danny Green steal.
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