SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-98 to finish the regular season with a 40-1 record at home, matching the NBA record set by the 1985-86 Boston Celtics.
"That is great, tying the Boston Celtics," point guard Tony Parker said. "That's one of the legendary teams with Larry Bird, [Kevin] McHale and [Robert] Parish. So it's pretty good. It's not easy to only lose one game [at home] the whole season."
The game went to overtime -- the only time that has happened this season for San Antonio -- and the Spurs played the majority of their regulars for extended minutes against a shorthanded Thunder squad, as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka didn't even make the trip to San Antonio. Three of San Antonio's starters (Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Parker) played at least 34 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge left the game late after experiencing what appeared to be a setback with his sore right pinkie finger.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Aldridge hit the locker room to use "the latrine," and the team said the forward is just experiencing some soreness in the finger.
San Antonio trailed by as many as 18 points against the Thunder in a game that featured nine lead changes and 14 ties. Leonard scored six of his game-high 26 points in the overtime period to pace the Spurs, and Parker contributed three points in OT.
Parker finished with 20 points and three assists, and Duncan chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds.
"That's great," Leonard said of the Spurs finishing the season with a 40-1 record at home. "But going into the playoffs, it doesn't mean anything. Everybody's gonna be playing hard. Everybody knows your game plan and how you play at home. So we've just got to keep playing."
Interestingly, the Spurs and the 1985-86 Boston Celtics share quite a bit in common. Their average margins of victory are just one point different, with San Antonio defeating opponents by 14 points, compared with 13 for the Celtics. And San Antonio logged only one more 20-point win (12) than those Celtics.
The Spurs tied Boston's NBA record on Fan Appreciation Night at the AT&T Center.
"I don't see any difference between tonight and any other night because they're here every night, and they do what they do, and that's huge for us," Popovich said. "They get into it. They love their team, and I don't come here any night and say, 'Where are the fans?' or 'They weren't into it tonight.' So to me, it was like a regular night. They have always been super."