Spurs rally past Thunder for 41st straight home win

Another home win for the San Antonio Spurs, another blown fourth-quarter lead for the Oklahoma City Thunder.  
Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points Saturday night and fuelled a late rally as the Spurs remained unbeaten at home with a 93-85 victory over the slumping Thunder and clinched their fifth Southwest Division title in the last six years.  
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points for the Spurs (56-10), who improved to 32-0 at the AT&T Center this season. Dating to last season, San Antonio has won 41 straight home games, the third-longest streak in NBA history.  
“I thought their competitiveness got better as the game went along,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
“They got more physical. Kawhi got himself into the game, and everybody did a good job.” The NBA champion Golden State Warriors are riding a record 48-game home winning streak dating to last season and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls won 44 in a row at home. No team has ever gone an entire season without losing at home.  
“We just want to get better as each game goes and as the season goes on,” Leonard said. “So it doesn’t matter who we are playing, it’s just about us. Are we going to execute? Are we going to go out and have energy and play defense?”
Kevin Durant had 28 points and eight assists for the Thunder (44-22), who are just 4-8 since the All-Star break. Oklahoma City has lost a league-high 12 games after holding a lead entering the final period, including six in their recent slide.  The Thunder made their first two shots of the fourth quarter as layups by Randy Foye and Durant opened a 72-66 lead. But they were just 4-of-16 thereafter, missing their last six attempts.  “They’re obviously a terrific defensive team,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “We had a tough time scoring at times in that fourth quarter.”  
After three straight baskets by David West tied the game, Leonard took charge. His jumper provided a 76-74 edge with 7:58 to go. After a bucket by Turkey’s Enes Kanter tied it, three-pointers by Green and Leonard gave the Spurs an 82-76 advantage.
 “We started playing defense and executing on the offensive end and finally started to knock down shots,” Leonard said. “I got my rhythm going and my teammates found me and I just kept going from there.”  
Elsewhere:  
Golden State Warriors 123, Phoenix Suns 116: Stephen Curry scored 35 points for the Warriors, who improved to 30-0 at home as they fought off the pesky Suns, who got 30 points from Brandon Knight.  
Toronto Raptors 112, Miami Heat 104 (OT): DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points with 10 rebounds for the host Raptors, who have won five of six. Joe Johnson scored 28 points for the Heat.  
Atlanta Hawks 95, Memphis Grizzlies 83: Paul Millsap scored 21 points to lead a balanced attack for the host Hawks, who have won four of five.
Charlotte Hornets 125, Houston Rockets 109: Kemba Walker scored 26 points as the host Hornets held All-Star James Harden to 12 points in their seventh straight win.  
Indiana Pacers 112, Dallas Mavericks 105: Paul George scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack for the visiting Pacers, who handed the Mavericks their fifth straight loss despite 30 points from German star Dirk Nowitzki.  
Detroit Pistons 125, Philadelphia 76ers 111: Reggie Jackson had 24 points and 10 assists for the visiting Pistons. The 76ers retired the No. 4 of late former NBA great Dolph Schayes at halftime.  
Portland Trail Blazers 121, Orlando Magic 84: Damian Lillard collected 19 points and 10 assists as the Trail Blazers blasted the Magic, who completed a 1-3 road trip.  
Denver Nuggets 116, Washington Wizards 100: Bosnia’s Jusuf Nurkic scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack as the Nuggets completed a 5-1 homestand and handed the Wizards their fifth straight setback.  
Milwaukee Bucks 103, New Orleans Hornets 92: Khris Middleton totaled 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the host Bucks. Anthony Davis had 29 points and 11 boards for the Pelicans.