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RECAP: Dejounte Murray leads Spurs past Thunder 118-96 with historic triple double

Murray needed just three quarters to put up a stat line matched by only Magic Johnson and Gary Payton.

SAN ANTONIO —

Postgame

Game Story

First Quarter

The first five minutes didn't go as the Spurs would have hoped, as they mad a couple of unforced turnovers and shot just 4-13 from the floor. Doug McDermott netted five quick points, and the San Antonio found themselves tied with OKC 9-9.

Devin Vassell saved a deflected pass in the corner, drove and kicked to Keldon in the corner for three. Jakob Poeltl blocked a few shots, and Derrick dropped him a pass for an easy layup. White got a three in the flow of the offense and drilled it, making it a 10-0 Spurs run and forcing a Thunder timeout.

OKC responded with a pair of threes.

Dejounte created a few buckets for himself, then a few for Vassell. He hit him for three, then stole the ball and found him on the break. White found Keita Bates-Diop for a cutting dunk, and Drew Eubanks grabbed an offensive board and went to the line.

White swatted an attempt by SGA with some ferocity, then Eubanks denied a poster dunk by Darius Bazley. KBD scored in transition, then joined Lonnie Walker IV for another demoralizing block on Bazley.

The Spurs led 32-22 after one, their biggest advantage of the game.

Second Quarter

Eubanks snagged an offensive board, then dished to Vassell for three. San Antonio got a few free throws to push the lead to 11.

Bates-Diop tight-roped the baseline and passed to Vassell in the corner for his third triple in as many tries. White scored inside the arc, then Vassell picked off a pass and took it all the way to the hoop for a 15-point lead.

Dejounte hit from mid-range a few times, and McDermott rattled in a three. Keldon Johnson hit his second corner three of the game, and White made it an 18-point advantage with a floater.

Poeltl blocked his fourth shot of the first half, and Keldon scored on a feed from Murray in transition.

Poeltl hit a putback, then found Derrick White who pumped, drove, and floated it in. San Antonio rolled in an inbound pass to execute a two-for one. Murray picked it off the floor and dribbled into a three he took with confidence, draining it.

San Antonio led 69-51 at halftime, turning it over just twice in the half.

Third Quarter

Jakob Poeltl contested a shot at the rim, then ran the floor and crammed home a feed from Derrick White.

Doug McDermott got microwave-hot, drilling a pair of threes on passes from Dejounte Murray.

Murray and Poeltl ran pick and roll, and Poeltl kissed it off the glass with his right. Derrick White drew a charge, as he does. The Spurs built the lead up to 24.

OKC clawed back, and after Josh Giddey got a putback on a free throw, Pop called time up 18.

DJ fed McDermott for three, then Poeltl in the paint for a hook. Poeltl passed to Keldon for his third corner three of the game, and then Murray grabbed a board and whipped it up court to Doug McBuckets, who drilled his sixth shot from beyond the arc and gave Murray 13 assists.

White took another charge, up 25. Poeltl made a tremendous steal and save. Murray lost Dort on a monster screen by Poeltl, then popped it in from eight feet out. He drove in and kissed it off the glass next, then got his own miss on a play ending in a Devin Vassell three.

Murray poked away another steal, then took it to the cup and used his long right hand on the layup. On the next possession, he went for a post turnaround and hit it. Next trip, he threw an absurd between the legs pass to Eubanks who crammed between two defenders.

Murray grabbed a loose ball and hit an elbow jumper, and later got his tenth board for his eighth triple double of the season.

San Antonio led 106-78 heading to the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

Devin Vassell smashed a pair of blocks in the early going, and Drew Eubanks soared in for a putback slam. Lonnie Walker IV drove in and pushed the San Antonio lead to 32.

Thad Young, Jock Landale, Tre Jones, Joe Wieskamp and Lonnie Walker IV played the game out.

Pregame

The San Antonio Spurs (16-28) will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-29) Wednesday night. 

In the Spurs' previous game, the team could not take down the West's best team, losing to the Suns, 121-107, in San Antonio.

Jakob Poeltl led the team with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Dejounte Murray had 18 points and Keldon Johnson ended the night with 14 points.

"They're [Suns] are a very good team. They were in the championship last year. Very solid. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We had some bad turnovers. A couple of bad shots," Johnson.  

Here are five things to watch for in tonight's game:

1. The Thunder have seven consecutive games with fewer free-throws attempts than their opponents.

2. The Thunder are 4-1 on the road when leading after the third period.

3. The Thunder are averaging 100.3 points per game on the road this season through 21 games.

4. The Spurs have lost three-straight games to the Thunder.

5.  The Spurs are 1-2 in their last three games and are averaging 105.7 points per game and are shooting 34% from the three-point line. 

Stay here at KENS 5 throughout the season for complete Spurs coverage.

 Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5

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