The OKC Thunder dispatched the San Antonio Spurs in Oklahoma City Thursday. They did it with yet another triple-double from Russell Westbrook, but they also had a significant and unfortunate advantage in the second half: Kawhi Leonard took a blow to the head in the third quarter and didn’t return to action. Losing their MVP candidate on the road wasn’t something the Spurs, who also played without Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kyle Anderson, could overcome.
Look for update tomorrow, as @kawhileonard‘s status in pivotal Golden State game is undetermined, according to Pophttps://t.co/YIWBYNV55u pic.twitter.com/U701M07ohH
— Tim Griffin (@TimGriffinBig12) March 10, 2017
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News quoted Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Leonard’s injury: “I haven’t checked yet, but he’s just a little bit … I don’t want to say what he was, because I don’t know. He got hit in the mouth or the cheek or the head or something. I’m not sure which. So the trainer thought he should sit.” The Spurs are two games back of the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference top slot. They face each other in a showdown Saturday (8:30 pm ET, ABC). Leonard’s status is unclear.
