In a shortened NBA schedule, the cream quickly rises to the top. Such was the case for the Thunder and Spurs, who both had comfortable wins of mid-level teams on the road.
Let’s get to the games:
Thunder 94 (21-20) – Heat 86 (18-23)
Kevin Durant went 0-fee from behind the arc and both he and Westbrook were held under 20 points – but the Thunder got the win, taking them over .500 for the first time all season. The Heat shot themselves in the foot, turning the ball over 10 more times, and attempting 30 less shots. Durant finished with 19 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Westbrook had 19 points with 10 rebounds. Steven Adams added 10 and Reggie Jackson added 16 off the bench to help the team effort. For the Heat, Dwayne Wade had 18 with 6 assists, Chris Bosh had 16 with 7 rebounds, and Hassan Whiteside added 10 points on a perfect 5-5 from the floor.
Spurs 109 (27-16) – Nuggets 98 (18-24)
The Spurs continued their winning streak since the return of Kawhi Leonard with a comfortable win over the Nuggets, who are still looking to unload their talent to the highest bidder. The game never really seemed in reach for the Nuggets, despite the scoreline’s closeness up until the 4th quarter. Leonard had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Tony Parker had 18 with 7 assists. Tim Duncan added 16 and Aron Baynes had a perfect shooting night to finish with 15. The Nuggets were led by Kenneth Faried who scored 26 and added 14 rebounds. Arron Affalo had 21 and Wilson Chandler had 11 in the loss.