Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives around San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 12, 2016, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

SHARE

By Mark Travis

SAN ANTONIO — Russell Westbrook took the risk.

Guarding a player who was 0 for 7 from the 3-point line on the night and at a lowly 34 percent on the season from behind the arc, Westbrook darted away from his man and sneaked behind LaMarcus Aldridge, hoping to pry away a game-changing steal.

To Westbrook's chagrin, Aldridge, as if he has been studying under Mr. Fundamental for years, kept the ball high and out of Westbrook's reach. Once Westbrook went flying past him, Aldridge turned and saw Danny Green sitting alone in the left corner.

It must have been a lonely night for Green, what with a season-long lack of 3-point prowess culminating in a shocking scoreless display in San Antonio's biggest home test of the season. No matter how open he was or how many chances he got, Green could not find his shot.

Until then, when Aldridge swung the ball to the open man and Green made his first basket of the game. Green's 3 gave San Antonio a 79-76 lead with 7:18 to play, and the Spurs never looked back, closing strong to secure a 93-85 victory against the Thunder, their 41st in a row at home.

"I had no choice but to make that one," Green said.

Green's lone make was a poignant moment in a confounding season for Green.

On "Go Green" night at the AT&T Center, which featured him as the team spokesperson for recycling, Green was ironically wasteful, missing the bin badly with his errant shots. Despite his commendable concern for the planet, the AT&T Center crowd might have been ready to pull its collective hair out as Green's open looks continually clanked off the rim, all while Green was playing one of his most impressive games of the season.

That has been the story for Green this season. While he has been replaced as the Spurs' most dangerous outside threat, Green has remained vigilante on the other end of the floor and done everything in his power to mitigate the negative effects of his prolonged shooting slump. On Saturday, when most expected a head-to-head duel between Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, it was Green who drew the assignment of guarding the former MVP.

Green is an underrated and qualified option to defend a superstar scorer, and he passed the Durant test with extraordinary proficiency. Durant scored a game-high 28 points, a sign that he'll get his points regardless, but he shot 11-of-25, made none of his five 3-point attempts and only got to the line six times.

"(Green) did a good job," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Kevin's going to be a Hall of Fame player obviously, and he brings it every night for every minute he's on the court. And between Kawhi and Danny, they did as good a job as they possibly could."

Although it would be reasonable to file this game away as a schedule loss for the Thunder, who were on the second night of a back-to-back, at this point excuses won't suffice if this team wants to be a legitimate title contender.

This was the 12th time Oklahoma City has lost despite leading in the fourth quarter, and OKC is 4-8 since the All-Star break, having blown fourth quarter leads in seven of those losses. It is unfathomable that a team with two of the best players in the league is so unreliable in crunch time on both ends of the floor. The Durant and Westbrook duo that used to will Oklahoma City to victories with key late-game plays is either too tired or too transparent to continue bailing the Thunder out.

The Spurs might have discovered their best solution for the problems Durant and Westbrook have perennially posed them. The most important element of Green's outstanding defense on Durant was that it gave the Spurs the luxury of having the reigning Defensive Player of the Year slow Oklahoma City's other MVP candidate. Leonard, who had a team-high 26 points, helped hold Westbrook to 5-of-16 shooting, and though Westbrook put pressure on the Spurs defense with his drives, his poor shooting and decision making (nine turnovers) doomed OKC.

Green remains a critical piece for the Spurs. He's no stranger to shooting slumps, with the most high-profile drought of his Spurs career coming against Oklahoma City in the 2012 Western Conference Finals, when he found himself out of the rotation by the end of the series.

Green has come a long way since then. His value is no longer tethered to his 3-point percentage. A few years ago, if Green wasn't making shots, it was hard to justify him being on the floor. Now, even on a 1-for-10 night, Green is capable of having a positive influence on the game with his defense and, of course, a timely shot or two.

"When you're open, you've got to take (the shots)," Green said. "Eventually the worm will turn."

Simply put, the Spurs will not win a title if Green shoots 1-of-10 from the field or 34 percent from 3. They need as much firepower as possible to match Golden State. But Green is doing enough in other areas of the game to keep himself on the floor until he can shoot himself back into form, and so long as he isn't hesitating to do so, he will have the support of the most important critic in San Antonio.

"We made it clear to him there's only two outcomes," Popovich said. "It goes in or it doesn't, but he still gets the paycheck, his family still loves him, so screw it, let 'em fly.

"And he did."