Thunder fans have enjoyed watching Kevin Durant pull the trigger on buzzer beaters many times before, but in their season opener in San Antonio Thursday night, the Thunder were on the losing end as Spurs point guard Tony Parker drained a 21-foot jumper as time expired to defeat OKC 86-84.
Oklahoma City started the night off well. Â They jumped out to an eight point lead, but the Spurs went on an 11-0 run to take the lead. Â With James Harden gone, Thabo Sefolosha played later into the first quarter before Kevin Martin made his first appearance in a Thunder uniform. Â Martin played well in his Thunder debut, contributing 15 points off the bench.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points to go with 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Â He also made history on Thursday night, becoming the second youngest player in the NBA to reach the milestone of 10,000 points (behind LeBron James). Â Russell Westbrook, however, seemed to struggle. Â He scored 18 points, but he also had 6 turnovers. Â The most devastating turnover came with 7 seconds left in a tied game. Â Westbrook then lost track of Parker long enough for him to get an open look at the game-winning shot.
The Thunder will get a chance to maintain their reputation for bouncing back on Friday night when they play their home opener against the Portland TrailBlazers.