Thunder take series lead on the road

REGULAR season scoring leader Kevin Durant has led his team to being just one win away from their first ever trip to the NBA finals.

After dropping the first two games against a Spurs team that looked unstoppable after winning twenty in a row, the Thunder have gone up three games to two in the best of 7 series. Its now the Thunder who look like they cannot be stopped. Durant scored 27 points and the Thunder beat the Spurs 108-103 in Game 5, moving within a victory of a series knockout and the conference title after beating San Antonio for the third time in five days marking the first time that the Spurs have lost three in a row all season.Manu Ginobili returned to the starting line-up for the Spurs and scored 34 in a losing cause. He ended up shooting 11 out of 21 and made 5 of his ten three point attempts, but missed a big three point shot in the final minute with the game, and some would say the series, on the line. Russell Westbrook added 23 points and 12 assists and James Harden scored 20 making them the only three Thunder players in double digit scoring alongside Durant. Harden hit a three pointer with just 29 seconds left in the game to seal the deal for Oklahoma City on a ball that was supposed to go to Durant. Harden admitted later that that the ball was supposed to be moved to superstar Durant but he was left with no choice but fire up the look with the shot clock winding down and Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard in his face.’The shot clock was running down and I had to make a play,’ Harden said. ‘Leonard was playing great defence on me. I just shot it with confidence. West Conference finals – that’s a big shot.’Tony Parker had 20 points and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.They now must win two straight to avoid seeing their last best chance to win in a title in the Duncan era end. ‘It’s either win or go home,’ Ginobili said. ‘It’s our job. Nobody is going to feel sorry about ourselves.’