SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker scored 42 points and broke the San Antonio Spurs franchise record for career assists, leading a 107-96 win over the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

The Thunder (18-5) nearly suffered their first blowout loss before closing the gap late, while the convincing win was just the springboard San Antonio needed before spending next three weeks on the road – where the Spurs have hardly been as dominant.

All-Star Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Parker became just the fifth player to score 40 or more in a game this season, and also had nine assists. The record-breaker was a dish to Tim Duncan – appropriately enough— in the third quarter that put him past Avery Johnson for the all-time franchise mark.

Parker, who’s spent his entire 11-year career with the Spurs, has 4,477 assists.

Despite the record, Parker’s passing was upstaged by his unstoppable scoring.

The Thunder has jumped ahead of the rest of the NBA, in part, by being the best road team. But this time they ran straight into the NBA’s best home team, a distinction that was never clearer than in the third quarter when the Spurs tripled an 8-point lead in a span of 8  1/2 minutes.

Parker’s most dazzling game in three years saw to that.

He scored 16 points in the third, going 6 for 9 from the floor and sinking all four of his foul shots. In a game worthy of a standing ovation, his came before it was even over – with 2:28 left in the third, when he surpassed the franchise record that Johnson had held since 2001.



Thunder box score

OKLAHOMA CITY (96)

Durant 9-19 4-6 22, Ibaka 4-9 2-7 10, Perkins 0-1 0-0 0,  Westbrook 8-15 1-1 18, Cook 4-10 1-2 13, Mohammed 0-3 0-0 0,  Collison 0-0 0-0 0, Harden 5-10 9-10 19, Jackson 4-7 0-0 10,  Hayward 1-1 0-2 2, Ivey 0-1 0-0 0, Aldrich 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 36-77 17-28 96.

SAN ANTONIO (107)

Jefferson 3-9 0-0 9, Duncan 5-16 3-3 13, Blair 1-3 3-4 5,  Parker 16-29 10-12 42, Leonard 5-7 2-2 15, Bonner 3-5 0-0 9,  Green 2-6 0-0 6, Splitter 1-5 3-4 5, Neal 1-8 0-0 3, Joseph 0-0 0-0 0,  Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-88 21-25 107.

Oklahoma City    21    26    23    26    —    96

San Antonio    25    32    31    19    —    107

3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 7-21 (Cook 4-10, Jackson 2-3, Westbrook  1-1, Mohammed 0-1, Ivey 0-1, Durant 0-2, Harden 0-3), San Antonio 12-23  (Leonard 3-3, Jefferson 3-4, Bonner 3-4, Green 2-5, Neal 1-5, Parker  0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oklahoma City 52 (Durant 11), San  Antonio 55 (Duncan 15). Assists—Oklahoma City 18 (Westbrook 6), San  Antonio 21 (Parker 9). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 25, San Antonio 22.  A—18,581 (18,797).