Western Conference Finals: Spurs hold off Lakers, 107-115, after LeBron suffers injury (4-1).

After some good fortune ended the 3rd Quarter with a 10-PT lead for San Antonio, a huge double-clutch 3PTer by Evan Fournier lifted the Spurs over that volatile line of momentum, transforming a perceivably-surmountable 76-86 deficit into an even harder feat for the Lakers. This crucial scoring swing was the only contrast throughout the tense battle, with the Spurs winning the 1st, 25-20, but then the Lakers winning the 2nd, 29-24.

A nasty turn of events unfolded soon thereafter: as the Spurs rejoiced in the new 13-PT lead, LeBron James suffered a dislocated shoulder. The training staff attempted remedies, but the writing was on the wall for the Lakers as the Spurs were able to maintain control of the lead and master the clock to win.

Before his injury, James had 22 points. Klay Thompson had 19 points, with Davis scoring 18 points & 12 rebounds. Andre Drummond had 22 rebounds with 13 points & 3 blocks. Dejounte Murray scored 26 points with 8 assists. Brandon Ingram had 23 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18, with VanVleet dropping 16. They shot 8-15 together from 3PT territory.

The Spurs led by as much as 19 points, with LA having 16 turnovers.

Western Conference Finals: Spurs edge Lakers in thriller, 130-124 (3-1).

Building off the uneasy calm of Game 3, a nail-biter ensued in Game 4 as the Lakers tried their hardest to earn the split and make this a three-game series.

A one-point game with 3 minutes left, then with 2 minutes to play, then Murray stole the ball from James, forcing LA into a time-out. With 90 seconds to go, A.D. hit a clutch corner 3PTer to notch the game at 118. Murray got a nice pick by Jabari Parker and slammed it past Klay to regain the lead.

Scrutinized for years, LeBron missed 1 of 2 at the free throw line after a foul, which led to Ingram's fast-break jam. A.D.'s tip-in forced the Spurs into a time-out of their own, and an exchange of missed opportunities followed until Klay Thompson barely missed a baseline J, prompting Murray up court to a trailing Ingram. The Slender-Man buried a clutch corner 3PT dagger with 47s left to play, 125-121. An excellent defensive close-out on a deadly Klay by Ingram forced Thompson into a smart pass down low down to Adams, who elevated but got the ball poked free by Fournier. Another fast-break blitz erupted once VanVleet hit a killer 3PT blow, pushing the lead to 7.

It was not to be, as Dejounte Murray poured his heart out for the Spurs: 46 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals. Brandon Ingram had 23 points, with Evan Fournier dropping 20 on the Lakers. VanVleet scored 17, with Drummond in charge down low with 10 boards.

The Lakers had 14 unforgivable turnovers, leading by only 4 and trailing by 10 at one point. The Spurs hit 15 threes, shooting just better enough to get a huge 3-1 advantage.

In the loss, LeBron had 24 points & 11 assists. Anthony Davis bounced back for 20 points & 8 rebounds. Steven Adams had 14 rebounds. Klay Thompson was hounded by the San Antonio defense, failing to be effective after his strong play so far this series.

Western Conference Finals: Spurs control Lakers, 110-101 (2-1).

Game 3 was much quieter, with San Antonio holding the lead after a 25-17 start, leading by 18 at one point in the contest.

The Lakers firepower came up small tonight: James went 8-15 and should've been more aggressive, for just 18 points, but Klay Thompson shot 6-13, hitting on just half of his deep range tries. Anthony Davis had one of those frustrating games of his, scoring just 11 points in a game that LA needed to win to gain momentum back. Steven Adams was high man for LA, with 19 points.

Fred VanVleet led the Spurs with 23 points, hitting seven 3PT bombs. Dejounte Murray had 20 points, the same as Drummond's boards. A cold night by Ingram (3-11) was not capitalized upon by the Lakers.

Western Conference Finals: Spurs earn split, 130-144 (1-1).

Dejounte Murray continued his strong playoffs performance with 40 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists & 6 steals in a game that the Spurs had to win. They came out hot, 38-28 in the 1st, and held off LA's flurry, even winning the 4th Quarter, 45-38. Fred VanVleet hit on 7 threes this time, scoring 25 points. Fournier had 21 points, hitting 5-6 from deep. Ingram scored 21 points & Drummond had a better 15 rebounds.

In the heady defeat, Klay Thompson had 33 points, going perfect from long range and missing only three shots overall. Dennis Schroder had 23 points with 8 assists. Steven Adams was strong for 23 points & 9 rebounds. Anthony Davis had 19 points, with LeBron's 21 assists powering the Lakers effort. The King did not shoot well, going 4-12. LA led briefly, by 2 points, but the Spurs led as high as 20. San Antonio connected on 22 daggers from deep, shooting 58% overall.

Western Conference Finals: Lakers stun Spurs in Game 1, 151-127 (0-1).

The Lakers looked to be formidable but containable in the 1st Quarter, 29-37, but ran wild with the rest of the opening game in this series for the western conference crown. They crushed the Spurs, 39-25, 34-24 & 49-41 to ultimately win 151-127, stunning the champions at home.

 Klay Thompson was deadly, hitting five threes for 27 points. He only missed five shots tonight. Anthony Davis had 24 points, 8 rebounds & 8 assists. Steven Adams secured a double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds. LeBron James had 19 points, 11 rebounds & 13 assists with Dennis Schroder dishing 13 assists as well.

LA shot the lights out at 60%, hitting twelve threes with 82 points down low. They led by as much as 24.

In the rough loss, Murray had 32 points, 9 assists & 6 steals. Brandon Ingram had 31 points. Fred VanVleet scored 24, with Evan Fournier's 17, but both marksmen were a bit cold tonight hitting on just 11 of 29 long balls. Drummond had just 12 points, 12 rebounds.

"We gave up 151 points tonight," an exasperated Coach Popovich spoke post-game.

Semi-Finals: Spurs handle Clippers, win 4-1.

For their second consecutive post-season meeting, the Spurs cruised past the Clippers to a 5-Game victory. This series was a comforting contrast to the Spurs war against the Grizzlies, as LA now finds themselves bowing out quickly having to ask how they can do better with now two seasons ending the same way, in five games against the dynastic Spurs. Only this year, the Clippers didn't even make the Western Conference Finals by meeting San Antonio earlier this time around.

This series opened with a block on Ingram by Rudy Gobert, who was then blocked by Drummond. A 20-10 burst by the Clippers was stalled by Evan Fournier's 16 first-quarter points. The Spurs would continue playing well, fueled by a strong 4th Quarter to win Game 1, 118-132.

Game 2 was by far more a one-sided affair, with the Spurs leading 34-17 after one. Ingram scorched LA with 21 points, as San Antonio led 67-37 at halftime. They went on to win 148-92, a trouncing at home over LA. Ingram kept scoring, outdoing his past career-high mark of 63 by scoring a sensational 64 points.

Behind him, Andre Drummond had 20 rebounds. Ingram wasn't just scoring, though: he also had 8 rebounds & 8 assists. The Spurs hit 50% of their 3PT attempts, with LA's star duo going cold all night on a combined 12-29. LA also had 22 turnovers, with the Spurs leading by 63 points at one moment. Dejounte Murray had 21 points & 15 assists.

Game 3 was a very close change of pace, with 3/4 quarters a virtual tie. The Spurs won, 119-112, after winning the 1st Quarter by 32-25. Paul George shot 1-7 from 3PT land, and had he made just one more, LA might've took the 'W' here. Dejounte Murray had 28 points & 15 assists. Drummond had 20 points, 14 rebounds. VanVleet, Ingram & KCP combined for 51 points, with Ingram having 13 rebounds.

Game 4 slipped out of the Spurs fingers, 112-117, with the Spurs having 19 turnovers. Kawhi Leonard had 23 points. In the frustrating loss, Murray & Drummond combined for 48 points.

To close out this series, it took just one quarter as the Spurs surged back on their home court, winning the opening period, 43-16. They crushed LA again in the second quarter, 37-21. Paul George led the Clippers with 14 points, to put it short on how well the Clippers played. LA shot just 38%, bowing out 98-130. Dejounte Murray led San Antone with 46 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists & 7 steals. Andre Drummond broke his career-high mark of thirty-one with 32 rebounds here. Including the regular season, The Big Penguin notched his 3rd triple-double performance with 11 points & 12 assists (also a career-high mark). Most notably, he set a new playoffs record on the glass, topping Tim Duncan's 25 rebound record from 2002.