Thunder vs. Spurs: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a habit of blowing fourth-quarter leads all season. They nearly did it again in unbelievable fashion Monday before hanging on for a dramatic 98-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder deserve credit for tying their second-round playoff series at 1-1 and bouncing back from a 124-92 loss in Game 1, but they held a four-point lead with less than 20 seconds remaining before almost handing San Antonio the contest Monday.

Oklahoma City fouled LaMarcus Aldridge on a three-pointer (he hit all three free throws) and then turned it over on the ensuing inbounds pass to give San Antonio one last gasp. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Patty Mills missed a three-pointer that likely would have won the game, and the clock expired as both teams battled for the ball:

One of the wildest finishes in NBA playoff history. Wow.https://t.co/EtWFpmLQZ6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2016

Royce Young of ESPN.com described the sequence:

Durant was definitely fouled on the catch, Aldridge was definitely fouled in the paint. Everyone was basically fouled. That was nuts.

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) May 3, 2016

Considering the Thunder blew 15 fourth-quarter leads this season, per Fran Blinebury of NBA.com, they will take the win. Russell Westbrook led the way with 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, while fellow superstar Kevin Durant added 28 points and seven boards. Steven Adams controlled the glass with 17 rebounds while also chipping in with 12 points. 

Aldridge was fantastic for San Antonio with 41 points and eight boards, but no other Spurs player scored 15 during the contest.

Despite the 32-point loss in Game 1, the Thunder controlled the pace in the early going and built a 21-8 lead in the first quarter.

“This first quarter for San Antonio is the definition of regression to the mean,” Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post observed.

San Antonio chipped away and trimmed it to 29-21 by the end of the first. It wasted little time coming all the way back to tie the contest at 33-33 less than four minutes into the second quarter.

Michael Wilbon of ESPN noted the Spurs were doing it all without much of a contribution from future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan:

5 missed layups in 6 attempts for the Big Fundamental…but the Spurs just keep playing…pulsating …

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