Patty Mills explodes for career-high 48 points; Spurs crush Thunder, 98-123. (1-0)

Patty Mills scored a career-high 48 points.

Highlight of the night? Patty Mills scoring 48 points and splashing in eleven three-pointers with six assists.

Both the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs went for the other's throat after the tip-off, with Paul George dropping two 3PTers in the first ten seconds, and slick passing by the Spurs answering back with dunks by Bismack Biyombo. Everybody going at their man, a dunk past Biyombo by Carmelo Anthony...

Then the downpour began and never really stopped.

Already with 10 points, Patty Mills started the second quarter with another 3PTer, the Spurs now up 42-31. Russell Westbrook attempted to answer back with moderate success, but Mills kept pouring it on, surging from 18 points to a full-on 30 points by halftime. He made one 3PTer over two OKC defenders, and then hit another one on the fast break in the final seconds. Mills shot 12-19 with 5-9 from downtown.

Like clockwork, Patty struck again to open the second half from long distance, followed by Iman Shumpert showing the touch. Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard chipped in, swiping some steals as the Spurs lead grew to twenty courtesy of an 8-0 run. Leonard would splash in a three, and so would Rudy Gay, San Antonio's lead now a towering inferno of 92-71 heading into the final quarter.

Jeremy Lamb would knock in a 3PTer, double teams would lead to easy passes by Mills to Davis Bertans, and Russell Westbrook would keep facing the sentinel down low in Bismack Biyombo, blocked hard at the basket, outlet to Mills for yet another...

Patty Mills entered his own world on the hardwood tonight, aflame by the game's end. The Spurs closed out the game on an impressive 12-0 flurry, winning 98-123, holding OKC under 100 points. In the loss, Westbrook had 20 points with 9 assists on just 7-20 shooting. Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 20-45 from 3PT territory, winning every quarter, shooting 53% with 29 assists as a team. Shumpert finished with 11 points, making a trio of long range bombs. Kawhi Leonard had 19 points, comfortably sitting out the final period with 7 assists and 4 steals. Rudy Gay had 11 points; Bismack Biyombo had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on the night. Lamb chipped in nine.

For OKC, Paul George had 22 points with 7 rebounds, Andre Roberson had fifteen and Carmelo went 4/14 on the floor, backed up by a double-double from Steven Adams of 12 points and 12 rebounds.