In a matchup of two of the premier teams in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs were able to erase a 23-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-101 Friday night.

An 18-2 run over the final 5:30 in the opening quarter gave the Thunder a 17-point lead that they eventually stretched to a 43-20 advantage early in the second period. The Spurs, however, were able to cut that deficit to seven points by halftime, then took an 81-78 lead when Manu Ginobili hit a three-pointer 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Carmelo Anthony appeared to tie the game at 102 on a three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left on the clock, but a review showed his left toe was touching the line, which kept the Spurs ahead 102-101. After Pau Gasol was fouled on the inbound pass, he hit two free throws to extend the Spurs' lead back to three points. The Thunder's last shot came up short when Russell Westbrook's feet got tangled with Ginobili.

LaMarcus Aldridge was the leading scorer for San Antonio putting up 26 points along with 9 rebounds. Danny Green chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Spurs moved up to a 10-6 record, holding the No. 4 spot in the western conference.

As for the Thunder, they fell to a 7-8 record, 9th in the western conference. Carmelo Anthony was the leading scorer with 20 points as well as 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Paul George put up 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Russell Westbrook added a near triple-double of 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.

OKC played surprisingly well last season with just Westbrook as the main player; he later was named the 2017 NBA MVP. They were expected to do much better this season with the added help of Anthony and George but have so far been disappointing. The team has been having issues closing close games as they're currently 1-7 in matches that come within three points with four-or-fewer minutes to go.

But as is necessary to point out, it's still very early in the season.

Source: bleacherreport.com