Tag: Danny Green

Game rewind: How the Kings confounded the Spurs

Without Manu Ginobili and T.J. Ford, the Spurs have a surprisingly narrow margin of error — even against an opponent that they seemingly shouldn’t have much trouble with.

That was the case Friday night at the ATT Center, where the Spurs were stunned by Pacific Division bottom feeeder Sacramento in a disappointing 88-86 loss.

The Spurs don’t lose many games like Friday’s shocker at home. It was the first time the Spurs were defeated by a likely lottery-bound team at the ATT Center since losing to Milwaukee on Dec. 30, 2008.

As Tony Parker said, it was a strange night.

The Spurs had a seemingly safe 84-78 lead and momentum with less than 4 minutes to play.

But from that point, they couldn’t make a field goal and Sacramento escaped with what unlikely standout John Salmons called their “biggest victory of the season.”

Here’s how they were able to steal the game from the Spurs.

Game analysis: The Spurs fell behind early to an athletic Sacramento team and played from behind for the first thre-plus quarters of the game. And after they reclaimed the lead late in the game, San Antonio didn’t have the firepower needed to put the game away.

Where the game was won: After leading by nine points late in the fourth quarter, the Kings appeared ready to give the game away after Parker’s jumper gave San Antonio an 84-78 lead with 3:51 left. But two clutch jumpers by Salmons and a go-ahead 22-foot jumper by Tyreke Evans with 47.2 seconds left gave Sacramento the lead. Their defense did the rest as Tiago Splitter and Danny Green missed short jumpers on the Spurs’ final two possessions.

A little earlier … The Spurs employed a 12-2 run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter to take a 74-73 lead on Splitter’s acrobatic reverse layup with 9:52 left for their first lead of the game. 

Player of the game I:  Evans battled his way out of a recent slump as he scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished off seven assists in a strong all-around effort.

Player of the game II: After being dinged earlier in the second half, DeMarcus Cousins returned to wreak havoc for the Kings in a strong 17-point, 13-rebound effort that also included four steals. But his biggest play might have been the way he altered Green’s attempt to tie the game on San Antonio’s final possession.

Player of the game III: Parker provided team-high totals of 24 points and six assists, including the basket that gave the Spurs their largest lead of the game at 84-78. But after that, he disappeared down the stretch with no field-goal attempts and one turnover during the rest of the game.

Most unsung: After missing four of his earlier five shots, Sacramento’s Francisco Garcia told Kings coach Keith Smart to stick with Salmons in the final minutes. Salmons, who came into the game shooting a frigid 35.1 percent, rewarded that confidence by hitting two clutch jumpers that set the stage for the Kings’ upset.

Did you notice: The Spurs had trouble containing Sacramento speedy big men Cousins and Jason Thompson from the opening moments of the game. It got worse as the Spurs’ offense sputtered in the opening minutes with five missed shots and a turnover before Parker’s sank San Antonio’s first basket with 9:10 left in the first quarter. “Honestly, I think they came out slow,” Cousins said. “We jumped on them quick and they played catch-up most of the game.”

Did you notice II: With Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair resting, the Spurs didn’t hesitate to run their offense through  Splitter for large stretches of the game. The result was a 10-point, seven-rebound effort from Splitter as he produced a season-high plus-14 plus-minus score.

Stat of the game: The Spurs shot 37.8 percent from the field. It was their second-lowest field-goal percentage of the season, eclipsed only by a 37.6 percent shooting effort at Houston on Dec. 29.

Stat of the game II: Despite coming into the game ranked fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, the Spurs clanked to a 5-for-25 effort (20 percent) that continues a recent slump. In their last  four games, San Antonio has hit 22 of 86 from 3-point territory for 25.6 percent. And in Friday’s game, the Spurs missed 14 straight 3-pointers at one stretch before Richard Jefferson connected with 10:37 left in the game.

Stat of the game III: The Spurs saw their nine-game home winning streak to start the season snapped. It was their longest home winning streak to start the season since 2007-08, when  they won their first 13 home games.

Weird stat of the game: After hitting their first 15 foul shots, the Spurs finished the game at 90.5 percent. Sacramento hit 57.9 percent as the Kings sank 11 of 19 foul shots. That difference  between the two percentages (32.6 percent) has only been topped  five previous times in games where  the Spurs lost since 1985-86. The largest difference and most recent occurrence came last season in Boston when the Spurs hit 94.1 percent from the foul line and the Celtics hit 53.3 percent in a game the Spurs lost, 105-103.  

Weird stat of the game II:  Jimmer Fredette’s only basket of the game,  a 3-pointer with 9:46 left, gave Sacramento a 40-25 lead. It is the largest deficit for the Spurs in any game at the ATT Center so far this season.

Quote of the game: “They just never went away during the whole game, and we couldn’t hit a shot,” Parker on the Kings’ ability to stay ahead for most of the game.  

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs play the back end of a back-to-back Saturday night in Houston with an approaching road game Monday at New Orleans. Those games will start the Spurs’ most brutal road stretch of the season with 14 of their next 18 games away from the ATT Center. Sacramento plays in Memphis Saturday night and will visit Portland on Monday.

Injuries: Ginobili missed his 11th game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal.  Ford missed his sixth game with a torn left hamstring. Sacramento played without forward-center Chuck Hayes (dislocated left shoulder). And Cousins was briefly treated in the locker room during the third  quarter after he described “seeing stars” after jostling with Blair and Kawhi Leonard for a loose ball.

Game rewind: It wasn’t pretty, but the Spurs won’t complain

For much of Wednesday’s game, it appeared that neither Orlando nor San Antonio had much impetus to win their game.

A litany of missed shots, turnovers and all-around sloppy play didn’t make for a very spectator-friendly contest.

But after escaping with a wild 85-83 overtime victory, the Spurs probably don’t care.

Their first road victory of the season showed the kind of clutch late play which has been the hallmark of the franchise during its dynasty — even if hadn’t been seen at all in an embarrassing loss at Miami the previous night.

It gave them their first road victory of the season as they beat one of the Eastern Conference’s better teams. It also ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak and denied them a chance of a sweep in their back-to-back-to-back.

Even with the grinding offensive play, it produced  one of the most exciting victories for the Spurs this season.

Here are a few of the game highlights.

Game analysis: The Spurs finally found road success thanks to a clutch late performance by Tony Parker and some sticky overtime defense that persevered over a tired Orlando team playing for its third consecutive night.

Where the game was won: Gary Neal hit his first shot of the night with 28.2 left in overtime to give the Spurs an 84-81 lead. After Von Wafer hit a basket and missed a foul shot, Richard Jefferson hit one of two shots to give the Spurs an 85-83 lead.  On the ensuing play, Orlando had several chances for a game-winning shot. But a desperate leaping effort by Danny Green forced J.J. Redick to release his game-winning 3-pointer an instant after the buzzer ended.

A little earlier … Parker hit seven consecutive shots early in the fourth quarter before he was cooled off by a strong defensive effort by Larry Hughes. But late turnovers by Tim Duncan and Parker set up four late points from Redick that tied the score at 73. Duncan’s hoop was matched by two free throws by Redick with 17.7 seconds left to tie the score at 75. But overtime ensued after Parker misfired on a jumper in the final second of regulation.

 Player of the game I:  Parker carried the Spurs down the stretch, scoring 16 of his game-high 25 points in overtime. Parker also chipped in with seven rebounds and nine assists in 44 minutes — his second-longest playing effort this season. 

Player of the game II:  Orlando center Dwight Howard was a menane to the Spurs throughout the game, producing 24 points and 25 rebounds and three blocked shots. He also was plus-8, Orlando’s best plus-minus player in the game. 

Player of the game III: Neal struggled with his shooting throughout the game, missing his first five shots. His only basket ended up being the game-winning shot in a clutch role he has filled for the team throughout his two years  with them.

Most unsung: Green missed all six shots and scored only two points, but came up with the play of the game when his desperate leap at Redick made him pause just enough to keep him from shooting before the buzzer.

Did you notice: Orlando forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis earned a technical foul in the third quarter for an unusual display of disgust after a personal foul. Davis was whistled for a personal foul on a Spurs alley-oop attempt and then was whistled for a techical when he pulled  down his shorts to reveal black Spandex. Parker hit the ensuing technical foul shot to give  the Spurs a 53-50 lead.

Did you notice II: Parker easily dominated his matchup with Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson, who clanked through a 2-for-16 shooting effort for four points. By the end of the game, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was forced  to insert journeyman Hughes to counter Parker. He did better than Nelson, but not by much.

Stat of the game: A night after allowing Miami to blister them for 68.3 percent shooting and 71 points in the second half alone, the Spurs limited Orlando to 33.3 percent shooting and 82 points in 53 minutes. 

Stat of the game II: Orlando outrebounded the Spurs, 60-41. The 19-rebound margin is the largest by a Spurs opponent this season.    

Stat of the game III: The Spurs hit only two 3-pointers and were 11.8 percent from 3-point territory. Both totals matched the team’s previous low this season in the loss at Houston.  

Weird stat of the game: The victory continued a strong recent overtime streak for the Spurs, who have won three straight overtime games since losing at Houston last April 1. The Spurs have won six of their last seven overtime games and 14 of their last 19 overtime games in the regular season and playoffs.

Weird state of the game II: Including regular season and playoff games, Wednesday’s game was Howard’s 41st game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Orlando’s record in those games is 31-10.

Quote of the game: “Our defense was great and then Parker got going, and that pretty much was the difference in the game,” Redick, to NBA.com on Parker’s late surge.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs are off on Thursday before three games in four days with a home game against Sacramento on Friday, and road game Saturday at Houston and Monday at New Orleans. The Magic will host the Lakers on Friday before back to back games Monday at Boston and Tuesday at Indiana.  

Injuries: Manu Ginobili missed his 10th game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal.  T.J. Ford missed his fifth game with a torn left hamstring sustained last week in Milwaukee. Orlando played without starting forward Hedo Turkoglu (back spasms) and Jason Richardson (bruised left knee).

Game rewind: Desperate times call for ‘Twin Towers,’ zone

Gregg Popovich lamented last week that the lack of practice time resulting from the lockout had made him drastically alter his coaching plans from a typical season.

When asked about emplying a zone defense with his current group, Popovich chuckled at the thought.

Something happened Monday night. Maybe it was New Orleans’ blistering start that saw the Hornets hit nine of their first 12 shots. Or the fact that his defense needed a spark from somewhere.

Whatever the reason, Popovich pulled a zone defense out of  his bag of tricks. That shift was enough that the Hornets cooled down a little.

In a similarly dire position down the stretch later in the game, Popovich employed Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter in the same lineup for the first extended period this season.

Duncan entered the game with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter with Spliter already in the lineup. Together, they helped the Spurs hold on for 104-102 victory.

That willingness to take a gamble helped the Spurs snap their two-game losing streak and showed the strength of Popovich’s convictions to try something different when he felt like it was needed.

Here’s a few other tidbits about the Spurs’ second road victory of the season.   

Game analysis: Hot early New Orleans boosted them into an early lead for most of the first half. But a vintage performance by a rested Duncan enabled the Spurs to escape with a tight victory settled on the final possession.

Where the game was won: Two nights after sitting out the loss against Houston against his will, Duncan was rested and ready down the stretch against the Hornets. His 13-foot running hook with 1.4 seconds left gave the Spurs the lead. And on the final possession, the Spurs got a rare stop when Carl Landry misfired on a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Bring on the bench: New Orleans jumped to an early 22-13 lead with 5:12 left in the first quarter before a hustling performance prompted by the San Antonio bench helped pull the Spurs back in the game. The inserion of  Matt Bonner, Cory Joseph and Danny Green helped the Spurs regain the lead by the end of the quarter.

Player of the game I: Duncan had his best game this year, producing a season-high 28 points and a team-high seven rebounds. For good measure, he even threw in the game-winning shot.

Player of the game II: Tony Parker had a memorable night running the Spurs offense, scoring 20 points and dishing out a career-high 17 assists.

Player of the game III: Chris Paul may be gone, but the Hornets look like they have a keeper at point guard in Jarrett Jack, who led them with 26 points and eight assists and also grabbed six rebounds. Jack scored 17 points in the second half as he directed the Hornets’ best offensive game of the season.

Most unsung: Richard Jefferson’s shooting touch returned after he hit for 14 points with four 3-pointers. And his defense on Trevor Ariza down the stretch helped him cool down the Hornets’ mosts athletic player as Jefferson played all but 53 seconds after halftime.

Did you notice: Was it some kind of “Cougar Reunion” at the Hornets’ game? What else could explain the presence of movie stars Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah and  Brooke Shields sitting together in the courtside seats at the game.

Did you notice II: The Spurs struggled on the boards throughout most of the game. Their problems on the offensive glass were particularly pronounced as they grabbed only one offensive rebound through the first three quarters of the game. 

Stat of the game: Duncan matched Parker’s current season high with 28 points — most by a Spurs player this season.

Stat of the game II: The Spurs’ 3-point shooting improved for the fourth consecutive game to 43.8 percent. The Spurs shot at least 43.8 percent in six of their first nine games this season, but had not reached that level since the loss at Oklahoma City in the ninth game of the season. 

Stat of the game III:  New Orleans topped the 50 percent mark in shooting for only the second time this season and the 100-point mark offensively for the first time and still lost. It was the Hornets’ eighth straight loss and 13th in their last 14 games after opening the season 2-0.

Weird stat of the game: New Orleans shot at least 50 percent in every quarter of the game. The Hornets became the first Spurs opponent to accomplish that feat this season.

Weird stat of the game II: The Spurs grabbed only 27 rebounds in Monday’s game. In the last 26 seasons, the Spurs have grabbed that few rebounds in a game only 15 times before Monday. The Spurs record in those games is 2-14.

Weird stat of  the game III: The Hornets went 12 for 13 from the line for 92.3 percent, marking back-to-back nights where Spurs opponents have hit better than 90 percent from the line. Houston was at 91.7 in the Spurs’ loss Saturday night. It was  the first  time that has happened since the 2010 playoffs against Dallas.

Weird stat of the game IV: The Spurs’ starters were a collective minus-38 in plus-minus. The San Antonio bench was a collective plus-48.

Best plus/minus scores: Danny Green was plus-14, Matt Bonner and James Anderson were plus-13. 

Worst plus/minus scores: DeJuan Blair was minus-15, Jefferson was minus-11.

Quote of the game: “It was a mix of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson—a kind of sky-hook, and we’ll take it,” Parker, to reporters on Duncan’s game-winning shot.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs have the day off  before returning home Wednesday night against Atlanta, Friday night at Minnesota and Sunday night at Dallas. For the Hornets, they play Wednesday at Oklahoma City and home games Friday against Orlando and Sunday with Atlanta.

Injuries: Manu Ginobili missed his 13th game (record 8-5) after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal.  T.J. Ford missed his eighth game (record 5-3) with a torn left hamstring. New Orleans guard Eric Gordon (bruised right knee) and guard Xavier Henry (resolving ankle sprain) both missed Monday’s game.