SAN ANTONIO -- Needing a win to strengthen their playoff hopes, the Spurs turned to the only things they have been able to rely on this season.
Defense and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge had 25 points and 11 rebounds while playing through an ailing knee, and San Antonio held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-99 on Thursday night to climb back into fourth place in the Western Conference.
Aldridge played despite bruising his left knee following a collision in Tuesday's 116-106 loss to Washington. The Spurs are already without an injured Kawhi Leonard, so they desperately needed Aldridge as they battle for a playoff berth.
"Playing without (Aldridge) at this level is almost like handing a win," San Antonio veteran Manu Ginobili said. "He's become so important and we depend on him so much that it could have been almost impossible. Great to see him compete like that and fight through the pain and have a great game."
The Spurs matched Oklahoma City at 44-32 in jumping two spots in the standings. The Thunder are fifth, a half-game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Aldridge scored 19 points in the first half, then drove past Steven Adams for a dunk and a three-point lead with 52 seconds left as the Spurs snapped a two-game slide.
Aldridge played 34 minutes, shooting 9 for 19 while scoring 20-plus points for the 47th time this season.
"Just trying to keep guys motivated, into it," Aldridge said. "We've already been offensively challenged this year, so when I'm not in the game, it makes it even harder on us. So, I thought guys definitely felt more comfortable that I was out there."
Paul George led Oklahoma City with 26 points and had six assists. Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 11 rebounds, but had a pair of 3-pointers miss the rim and land out of bounds in the final minutes.
Both teams experienced scoring droughts, resulting in 10 lead changes and seven ties.
"As I've said all along, the defense is what we have to be good at because we're going to have nights where our scoring isn't great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio held Oklahoma City to 18 points in the fourth quarter by limiting the Thunder to 27 percent shooting.
Patty Mills and Davis Bertans hit back-to-back 3s to give the Spurs a 94-87 lead with 4 minutes remaining. The Thunder made only two field goals between the 10:34 and 3:17 mark of the fourth but still were within a basket with less than 2 minutes remaining.
来源：ESPN
Defense and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge had 25 points and 11 rebounds while playing through an ailing knee, and San Antonio held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-99 on Thursday night to climb back into fourth place in the Western Conference.
Aldridge played despite bruising his left knee following a collision in Tuesday's 116-106 loss to Washington. The Spurs are already without an injured Kawhi Leonard, so they desperately needed Aldridge as they battle for a playoff berth.
"Playing without (Aldridge) at this level is almost like handing a win," San Antonio veteran Manu Ginobili said. "He's become so important and we depend on him so much that it could have been almost impossible. Great to see him compete like that and fight through the pain and have a great game."
The Spurs matched Oklahoma City at 44-32 in jumping two spots in the standings. The Thunder are fifth, a half-game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Aldridge scored 19 points in the first half, then drove past Steven Adams for a dunk and a three-point lead with 52 seconds left as the Spurs snapped a two-game slide.
Aldridge played 34 minutes, shooting 9 for 19 while scoring 20-plus points for the 47th time this season.
"Just trying to keep guys motivated, into it," Aldridge said. "We've already been offensively challenged this year, so when I'm not in the game, it makes it even harder on us. So, I thought guys definitely felt more comfortable that I was out there."
Paul George led Oklahoma City with 26 points and had six assists. Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 11 rebounds, but had a pair of 3-pointers miss the rim and land out of bounds in the final minutes.
Both teams experienced scoring droughts, resulting in 10 lead changes and seven ties.
"As I've said all along, the defense is what we have to be good at because we're going to have nights where our scoring isn't great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio held Oklahoma City to 18 points in the fourth quarter by limiting the Thunder to 27 percent shooting.
Patty Mills and Davis Bertans hit back-to-back 3s to give the Spurs a 94-87 lead with 4 minutes remaining. The Thunder made only two field goals between the 10:34 and 3:17 mark of the fourth but still were within a basket with less than 2 minutes remaining.
来源：ESPN
