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Spurs-Thunder Preview

Mar 26, 2016 - 5:49 AM If everything plays out as projected, the Oklahoma City Thunder would meet the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder didn't appear ready for that matchup earlier this month in San Antonio and won't get a true test Saturday night at home as the Spurs are set to rest at least five key players.

Oklahoma City (50-22) has a 5 1/2-game cushion over the Los Angeles Clippers for the third spot in the West, the highest the Thunder can reach. San Antonio (61-11) still isn't out of the race for the conference lead and the NBA's No. 1 overall seed, but Golden State has a four-game lead with time running out.

That might lead to the Thunder and Spurs fighting it out in a best-of-seven series for the right to take on the defending champs. They split a pair of conference finals matchups in the past four seasons.

In the latest preview to that possible meeting, San Antonio held Oklahoma City to 38.3 percent shooting in a 93-85 victory March 12.

The Thunder, who matched a season low for points, have averaged 118.0 points on 51.5 percent shooting in winning six in a row since, one shy of matching a season high Jan. 12-22. They connected at 54.2 percent in a 113-91 rout of Utah on Thursday, their third straight home victory since a 1-4 stretch there.

Oklahoma City has won in 10 of the last 12 visits from San Antonio, including the postseason, claiming a 112-106 home victory in the season opener Oct. 28.

"It's just another game. It's just another opportunity to keep building the habits that we've built these last couple weeks," forward Kevin Durant said. "It means nothing. I'm sure it means nothing to those guys. It's not a playoff game. It's just another opportunity to get better."

The Spurs obviously have the same feeling that this is just "another game" as LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are scheduled to rest. Kawhi Leonard will remain out because of a bruised right quad suffered in a 112-88 win over Miami on Wednesday.

Starting guard Danny Green as well as reserves Boris Diaw and Patty Mills joined Leonard on the bench in Friday's 110-104 victory against visiting Memphis. Aldridge scored 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting after contributing just eight Wednesday.

The Spurs have dropped two of three on the road since a season-best six consecutive wins there.

"We better put our defensive hats on (Saturday)," guard Kevin Martin said. "I'm sure they're back (in Oklahoma City) waiting on us and excited for the opportunity."

Martin played one season for the Thunder in 2012-13 alongside their stars Durant and Russell Westbrook, who had a string of three consecutive triple-doubles snapped Thursday.

The Thunder point guard has six of his 15 triple-doubles in the last 10 games. He has never recorded one in 38 all-time matchups with the Spurs, including the playoffs, failing to register more than eight rebounds in any of those games.

Westbrook had a team-best 33 points in the matchup in October but had 19 with nine turnovers in the loss in San Antonio.

Durant had eight assists in the latest game against the Spurs and has continued to share the ball, averaging 7.3 assists in his last seven games - 2.6 more than in his first 58 contests.

Durant also scored 28 points in the last matchup and has at least 20 in a career-best 57 consecutive games.