Aussies in NBA: Mills solid in Spurs loss to Thunder

Patty Mills had a solid opening to his 2015-16 season, as his San Antonio Spurs went down to the Oklahoma City Thunder 106 – 112 (boxscore).

Before the clash between two of the leagues heavyweights, Mills sent out his familiar game day tweet in anticipation:

GAME DAY BALA GAME DAY!!! #atOklahomaCity #GoSpursGo

— Patrick Mills (@Patty_Mills) October 28, 2015

He played 22 minutes, finishing with 9 points on 3-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from 3pt), 2 assists and 3 rebounds. It was a par game statistically from Mills, putting up numbers which are likely to be close to his season averages.

While he had a quiet first half offensively, scoring just 2 points, he was able to contribute on the defensive end, drawing the charge on Dion Waiters as the clock wound down on the 1st quarter:

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Mills was able to bump up his scoring total in the second half by connecting on a couple of 3 balls, a good sign for his season going forward:

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Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard were the stars of the show, scoring 33 points and 32 points respectively while providing plenty of highlights in the tightly fought game. Ultimately the Thunders were able to lift in 4th quarter behind a typically boisterous crowd, outscoring the Spurs 33-23 to take the win.

The Spurs bench which is usually a strength, looked a little shaky against the Thunder as they incorporate new players into the rotation. Mills is keen to take on a leadership role this season, and he will need to share his experience of the Spurs system with likes of David West and Kyle Anderson to help iron out the kinks.

The Spurs play their next game at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday 11.30am (Australia time).