Thunder knocks off Spurs for second straight win

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up its third win of the season on Sunday night at Paycom Center, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 99-94.

After surrendering a 14-point lead in the first quarter, Oklahoma City flipped the game’s momentum with a 65-41 run over the middle periods. Mike Muscala led the way with 20 points off the bench, including three three-pointers.

The Thunder (3-6), coming off a win over the Lakers on Thursday, stayed on the attack even as star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got off to a slow start with five points in the first half. SGA scored just 14 total, but still made an impact with a game-high nine assists and eight rebounds.

Muscala spearheaded a strong second quarter with 14 points, leading a 31-27 run before the break. Aleksej Pokusevski added seven points in the first half while Kenrich Williams and Derrick Favors combined for five, rounding out a strong showing from the second unit over the first 24 minutes.

OKC stayed hot out of halftime, scoring 34 points in the third quarter while holding the Spurs (3-7) to just 14.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine points in the period while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored eight. Lu Dort chipped in six and led the team defensively, helping hold San Antonio to 7-for-25 shooting from the field. OKC also owned a 19-6 advantage on the boards.

The Thunder held off a late run to seal the victory.

Robinson-Earl and Darius Bazley combined for 10 points down the stretch as well as five boards from Bazley. Bazley finished with a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds while Robinson-Earl totaled 13 points and four boards.

Oklahoma City looks to make it three straight wins on Wednesday night as they take on a struggling New Orleans Pelicans (1-9) team on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Smoothie King Center.