Spurs take Game 2

The San Antonio Spurs knew that the Clippers did what they were supposed to do in game 1, that is, defend home court.  The Spurs, knowing that taking one from the Clippers was a necessity, did so Wednesday late night and into early Thursday morning in a hard fought 117-107 overtime victory.  Tim Duncan led the way with 28 points and the new Defensive Player of the Year, Kawhi Leonard chipped in 23 points on a night that point guard Tony Parker went down with an Achilles injury.  Coach Popovich was asked about Parker’s status after the game.

“I honestly don’t know,” Popovich said. “He went to the locker room and didn’t come back.”

The Spurs will need Parker if they want to defend their title in this years NBA Playoffs and his teammate Tim Duncan knows Parker will do what he has to to be on the court Friday night for game 3.

“I hope he’s able to play and play well for us,” Duncan said. “We need him for that. He’s a big part of what we do. So him not at 100 percent hurts us. But we’ll see. He’s a gamer. He’s going to go, and he’s going to get treatment for the next 48 hours. And when that ball goes up, I guarantee he’ll be out there because that’s the kind of player he is.”

The series shifts back home to San Antonio and there are plenty of great seats and affordable tickets still available.  Be sure to get yours today and help cheer on your defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs!

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Blake will miss tonight’s game with the chicken pox

Backup Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake will miss tonight’s game against the Spurs — and potentially several more — after he contracted chicken pox.

Blake’s wife Kristen and also said that he didn’t get the infection from his three young sons. 

“And before anyone asks NO my kids didn’t give it to him,” Blake’s wife tweeted. “They were vaccinated and are healthy. No clue where or how Steve got chicken pox. 

“I’ll have him healthy and back in no time. Good luck tonight to the rest of the guys.”

Blake has struggled from the field this season, hitting 35.9 percent. But converted three 3-pointers against Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Also, he’s a better defensive player than Derek Fisher and likely would have matched up often with Tony Parker in Tuesday’s game. It will mean that Shannon Brown will get more playing time and could mean that Kobe Bryant could get some time running the point.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Lakers backup forward Matt Barnes and his availability will be a game-time decision. Barnes had surgery on the same knee three months ago to repair torn cartilage. The injury flared up again Monday, causing him to miss practice.

The Lakers come into the game with a five-game losing streak — longest in the Pau Gasol area. Coach Phil Jackson will be challenged to beat the Spurs with a limited rotation missing those two players.