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Spurs bully Thunder for 8th straight victory

Soobum Im / USA TODAY Sports

The San Antonio Spurs tied their longest winning streak of the season by pummeling the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-88 for their eighth victory in a row.

When the second quarter hit, it became clear that it was never the Thunder's game to win. The Spurs racked up a 20-point lead in the second quarter, making it the sixth time in the last 10 games that San Antonio has gained a 20-point advantage in the first half. 

Kawhi Leonard was an unstoppable force, activating his beastmode right out of the gate. Leonard posted 26 points and rounded out his stat line with three steals, two rebounds and two assists. Leonard scored 23 of those points in the first half, achieving the highest-scoring half of his career. 

Tim Duncan added 12 points and nine rebounds, seven of them defensive, and four blocks, while Marco Belinelli helped with 12 points as well.  

Shooting just over 40 percent from the field would not be enough for Oklahoma City to catch up to San Antonio. Russell Westbrook was not his usual powerful self. The point guard led his team in scoring, but was held to 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He also stole the ball from his opponents six times. Jeremy Lamb ended the game with 11 points and Perry Jones and Dion Waiters both posted 10 points to help in the Thunder's chase. 

Oklahoma City had a late surge, scoring 31 points in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder could not avoid extending their losing streak to four games.  

With Tuesday's victory, the Spurs have locked up their 17th straight season with a winning road record. And Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, playing in their 730th game together, set the record for most games played by a trio in NBA history, passing the Celtics Big Three of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. 

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