SAN ANTONIO
Russell Westbrook couldn’t be stopped down the stretch, not even when the San Antonio Spurs were trying to foul him.
Westbrook had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Spurs, 95-91 on Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Kevin Durant added 23 points as the Thunder won for the second time in San Antonio in the series. Oklahoma City can close out the series Thursday in Game 6 at home.
The Spurs have rallied from a 3-2 deficit only once in their prolific playoff history, winning the final two games in 2008 to defeat the then New Orleans Hornets.
After losing only once at home during the regular season, San Antonio has dropped two straight there now.
After Oklahoma City won Game 2 in San Antonio, the NBA acknowledged five incorrect non-calls in the final stretch. There were a couple calls the Spurs felt did not go their way in the final minutes Tuesday, but it was Westbrook who left no question of the outcome.
He sealed the victory with a three-point play with 6.3 seconds remaining, scoring after Kawhi Leonard was not able to foul intentionally, enabling him to drive for a layup while being fouled by LaMarcus Aldridge. Leonard said he “definitely fouled him” on the initial attempt, but Westbrook continued turning the corner and attacking the rim.
San Antonio led 88-82 with 4 minutes remaining when Westbrook took over. He had seven points, two rebounds and an assist in the final 4 minutes.
The Thunder took a 92-90 lead with 54 seconds remaining on a pair of free throws by Durant after Green fell into his legs when he appeared to be tripped by Steven Adams on an attempted screen.
Oklahoma City outrebounded San Antonio 54-36.
Kanter had eight points and 13 rebounds, and Adams had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Westbrook settled in after an erratic first half in which he committed six of the Thunder’s 13 first-half turnovers. He only had two turnovers after halftime.
Besides scoring at least 28 points for the fourth time in the series, the electrifying point guard had four offensive rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes.
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