INSPIRED by a 43-point opening quarter, the San Antonio Spurs made light work of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

    The Spurs showed no mercy, easing to a 124-92 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinal, which was said to be the most competitive series of the postseason so far, a matchup between two title-caliber squads with a long history and contrasting styles. However, Game 1 ended up as the most overwhelming blowout of the playoffs so far.

    Coming off a series sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in their first-round playoff, the Spurs — seeded second in the West — continued where they left off against the Thunder with a 43-point opening quarter Saturday. After storming out of the blocks, the Spurs led 73-40 at halftime and never looked back as they dismantled the Thunder in San Antonio.

    The Spurs — who defeated the Thunder in the 2013-14 Western Conference Finals having lost to Oklahoma City at the same stage in 2011-12 — were led by LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.

    Meanwhile, Oklahoma City encountered continued scoring difficulty with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook failing to play at their normal levels. The Thunder role players didn’t do much, either, and they shot just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc as a team to stumble to a 73-40 halftime deficit. That’s the sixth-largest halftime margin in NBA playoff history. (SD-Agencies)