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Spurs down Thunder in Western Conference showdown

Mar 12, 2013 - 4:28 AM San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Tiago Splitter led six San Antonio players in double figures with 21 points, as the Spurs took down the Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-93, in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference on Monday at AT&T Center.

Splitter also pulled down 10 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Spurs, who bounced back admirably from Friday's 30-point setback against Portland.

"I think everybody played well and I was one of them," Splitter remarked. "You play well and you feel better. You want to play well against these kinds of teams, these playoff teams."

Tim Duncan donated 13 points and eight rebounds, Manu Ginobili netted 12 points and Boris Diaw added 11 to help San Antonio close out a six-game home stand at 4-2.

Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 26 points and Russell Westbrook followed with 25 points, six boards and six assists for the Thunder, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

San Antonio, which now holds a two-game lead over OKC for the best record in the West, shot a scorching 59 percent from the field, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range, in the first half to build a 57-50 lead at halftime.

The margin was nine, 70-61, just past the midpoint of the third before the Thunder stormed back with a 9-1 surge, capped by consecutive baskets from Westbrook, to pull within one with just under three minutes left in the frame.

San Antonio ran away with the contest from there, as the Spurs used a 21-4 outburst spanning the third and fourth quarters to seize control.

Diaw donated the first five points of the spurt before Green capped it with a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 92-74 cushion with 8:56 left in the game.

Oklahoma City, which managed just one field goal over the first eight minutes of the fourth, never recovered from the San Antonio run and failed to get closer than 11 down the stretch to allow the Spurs to coast to victory.

"We turned the ball over too many times and we didn't play good enough defense," Thunder coach Scott Brooks admitted. "We just didn't have a good enough game to win here."

Early on, San Antonio jumped out to a 10-4 lead just under three minutes in, but the Thunder responded with a 23-4 surge to build a 32-22 advantage heading into the second.

The Spurs owned the second stanza, as they knocked down 13-of-19 from the field, including 4-of-5 from distance, and outscored OKC 35-18 in the frame to take a seven-point lead into the break.

Game Notes

Oklahoma City has lost six straight trips to AT&T Center ... San Antonio improved to 26-4 at home this season ... San Antonio guard Cory Joseph, who's been filling in for injured point guard Tony Parker, had just four points and one assist ... The Spurs shot 52.4 percent (43-for-82) from the field overall, while OKC shot 42.9 percent (33-for-77) from the floor.