Tag: DENVER

Game rewind: A forgettable night in OKC

The Spurs’ road woes continued against Sunday after they dropped a 108-96 decision at Western Division leading Oklahoma City.

The Thunder produced a strong all-around performance as they put the Spurs away early in the second half. The final margin was closer than most of the second half. After leading wire-to-wire in their last two games, the Spurs led for 3 minutes, 39 seconds in Sunday’s game.

Oklahoma City was the better team Sunday night.

Here’s how they claimed their first victory over the Spurs in Oklahoma City since March 16, 2009.  

Game analysis: The Thunder’s bench was too much of a challenge for the Spurs, even playing on the third night of a back-to-back-to-back. San Antonio couldn’t match Oklahoma City’s athleticism as the bench repeatedly provided key plays that eventually put the game away.

Setting the stage: The Oklahoma City bench hit San Antonio with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. Rookie guard Reggie Jackson started the spurt with a floating jumper, James Harden added a transition dunk and a deep three and Nick Collison finished it off with a nifty reverse layup to boost the Thunder’s lead to 33-22.

Where the game was won: After Richard Jefferson hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spurs  within 54-51 in the first minute of the second half, the Thunder erupted on an 11-3 run and the Spurs never closed  within seven points during the rest of the game.

Player of the game I: Kevin Durant didn’t hit his scoring average (26.2 points per game), but his strong all-around game of 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists was a key reason the Thunder was successful.

Player of the game II: Harden provided his accustomed lift off the bench, ripping the Spurs at the hoop and the perimeter in a 20-point effort that keyed the Thunder’s bench production.

 Player of the game III: The brightest spot for San Antonio was rookie forward Kawhi Leonard, who provided his first NBA double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He even did a passable job defending Durant in the third quarter  in a game that should boost his confidence for future defensive challenges.

Most unsung: Collison not only produced 12 points and 10 rebounds, but he also was dominant inside hitting  6 of 7 shots from the field. Collison was active defensively and provided the most consistent play inside in Sunday’s game. Collison also led the Thunder with a plus-19 score.

Did you notice: Ike Diogu received his most extensive playing time of the season with nine minutes. Diogu was the center in San Antonio’s “small ball” team used in the fourth quarter, producing two points and a rebound. Most impressively, he was a plus-11 which led all the Spurs Sunday night.

Stat of the game: The Thunder became the league’s first team to win back-to-back-to-back games in three nights. Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Sacramento and the Lakers all had failed before them.

Stat of the game II: Oklahoma City hit 50.7 percent from the field and 86.2 percent from the line. The Thunder led the league last season, hitting 50 percent from the field and at least 85 percent from the line 14 times in the same game last season. The Spurs, by comparison, accomplished the feat twice last season.

Stat of the game III: During a 37-21 binge in the third quarter, Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs in fast-break points, 13-0.

Weird stat of the game: Danny Green erupted for a career-high 24 points Saturday night against Denver. Green didn’t score Sunday against the Thunder until he hit two 3-pointers during garbage time during the final 90 seconds of the game.

Weird stat of the game II: Oklahoma City led 104-81 with 3:38 left  before the Spurs closed on a 15-4 spurt to make the final score more presentable. 

Quote of the game: ”They kicked our butts in the third quarter. They did a great job,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on the Thunder’s pivotal fast start in the second half.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs were on the back end of a back-to-back and will rest Monday before an approaching back-to-back Tuesday at Milwaukee and Wednesday at home against Houston. The Thunder finished their first back-to-back-to-back of the season. They will rest Monday before a back-to-back Tuesday at Memphis and Wednesday at New Orleans.

Injuries: Manu Ginobili missed his fourth game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal. DeJuan Blair and Tony Parker were both removed from the lineup with leg injuries that didn’t appear serious. They rested because the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma City lost backup point guard Eric Maynor with a season-ending knee injury in their victory over New Orleans Saturday night. Rookie forward Ryan Reid missed Sunday’s game as he recovered from nasal fracture surgery.

Game rewind: The Spurs dodged a sizzling Denver shooting effort

The Spurs began their biggest test of the season to date with a difficult back-to-back against the two best teams in the Western Conference Saturday night.

They were more efficient offensively than in any game this season in an impressive 121-117 victory over Denver.

Oklahoma City, the team with the best winning percentage in the Western Division, will be upcoming Sunday night.

But before worrying about the Thunder, Gregg Popovich should savor a lot from the Spurs’ victory over the Nuggets.

Here’s how they did it. 

Game analysis: The Spurs sprinted past Denver in a game that was reminiscent of the days of the ABA. Both teams shot better than 55 percent and it certainly wasn’t the kind of defense that Popovich likes his team to play. But no matter as the Spurs had enough firepower off the bench to withstand a late charge from the Nuggets’ deep rotation.

Where the game was won: Richard Jefferson provided two critical plays late when Denver had a chance to make things interesting. Trailing by five points with 2:01 remaining, Ty Lawson had a breakaway layup that Jefferson made a late recovery for a blocked shot. T.J. Ford picked up the loose ball and then hit Jefferson with a perfect pass that led to a 3-point dagger that helped ice the victory. After the game, Denver coach George Karl called it a five-point turnaround that effectively settled the game.

Player of the game I: Danny Green came off the bench to provide a career-best 24 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 33:27. His recent surge on offense and defense has made him the Spurs’ biggest surprise so far this season.

Player of the game II: Jefferson was particularly effective down the stretch, providing key offensive and defensive plays that helped the team salt away the victory. Jefferson nailed five 3-pointers in his 19-point effort, with 16 points in the second half.

Player of the game III: Angular Denver forward Danilo Gallinari is playing with a lot of confidence, torching the Spurs for 31 points to match his career high. Gallinari scored 12 of the team’s first 14 points in the second half to help them climb back into the game and was the most consistent offensive weapon the Nuggets had.

Most unsung: Let’s split this one between DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter, who melded to produce a pretty productive inside model for the Spurs. In slightly more than 48 minutes, Splitter and Blair combined for 20 points, 15 rebounds (including nine offensive) on 9 of 15 shooting. Those aren’t  exactly vintage David Robinson numbers, but they will do for now.

Did you notice: Maybe the after effects of the lockout are stronger than we might think. The Spurs attracted an announced crowd of 17,537. It marked the second straight Saturday night — typically the best night for attendance — where the Spurs failed to attract a capacity crowd to the ATT Center.

Stat of the game:  Green erupted for a career-high 24 points off the bench, keying a strong effort as the Spurs’ reserves combined for 53 bench points.

Stat of the game II: Jefferson went 5 for 8 from beyond the 3-point arc. He now has 26 3-pointers for the season to share the league lead with Boston’s Paul Pierce.

Stat of the game III: For the first time since 2007-08, the Spurs have won their first six home games of the season. San Antonio started that season with 13 straight home wins.

Weird stat of the game: Saturday’s game marked only the fourth game in Duncan’s career where he has played at least 19 minutes and grabbed two rebounds or less.

Weird stat of the game II: Denver shot 56.8 percent from the field. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the last time the Nuggets lost when they shot 56.8 percent came on March 14, 2000. In that game, they were defeated at the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-106. In the NBA last season, a team shot that percentage and lost only twice all season.

Quote of the game: ”The ref said he got all ball. I don’t know. He got away with murder,”  Lawson, on Jefferson’s controversial late blocked shot that served as a turning point.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs were in the first night of a back-to-back before playing Sunday in Oklahoma City. It will be a part of a swing of four games in five nights. Denver was in the middle of a back-to-back-to-back. After that, they will play a more reasonable slate with a game followed by an off day for the next eight days.

Injuries: Manu Ginobili missed his third game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal. Denver forward Nene, the team’s leading rebounder, did not play because of a bruised left foot.

Spurs seek more ugly wins during grueling schedule

After the Spurs laid waste to the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Tim Duncan took the extraordinary step of conducting his post-game media session seated in front of his locker, instead of his customary spot standing in another corner of the room.

In this lockout-compressed season, in which most every night is game night, it seems any amount of wear and tear saved on Duncan’s 35-year-old knees is a worthwhile investment.

“Hopefully, we can get a lot of games like this, so we can rest guys and not wear ourselves out,” Duncan said after the Spurs’ convincing 93-71 victory.

What the Spurs will take in this 66-game sprint of a season are wins — any which way they come.

With star guard Manu Ginobili out for the next six weeks with a fractured shooting hand, and with the schedule starting to stack up on them, the Spurs see no reason to quibble with the scoreboard.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday, the Spurs missed 52 of 86 shots against Dallas, becoming only the 16th team since 1985 to win a game by at least 22 points while shooting worse than 40 percent.

They did so, in part, because the Mavericks — the oldest team in the NBA — were also playing for the second time in as many nights, and went 27 for 77 from the field, including 1 for 19 from the 3-point arc.

“It doesn’t matter how you win, ugly or pretty, so long as you win,” said guard Gary Neal, providing the mantra for the season.

Not-so-fresh off that not-so-pretty win over Dallas, the Spurs tonight open another back-to-back — at home against Denver, then on to Oklahoma City — sure to test both their physical conditioning and mental toughness.

It will mark the third of 17 back-to-back sets this season. The Spurs will also face a pair of back-to-back-to-backs.

Youthful and nimble and deep, neither the Nuggets nor the Thunder represent the preferred fare for a gassed Spurs team amid a four-games-in-five-nights stretch.

“You’ve just got to dig deep,” said backup point guard T.J. Ford. “This season is going to be about mental toughness, and it’s only going to get tougher.”

Now more than ever, style points are irrelevant. Across the NBA, the art of winning ugly is en vogue.

Of course, the Spurs knew that from the moment the shrinky-dinked schedule was announced in early December, none of them more keenly than Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich.

Both were around in 1999, when the NBA’s last lockout shriveled the season to 50 games. Of course, Duncan was then only 23 years old.

“I was running up and down like a deer,” Duncan said. “I wanted to play every day.”

The Spurs lost just 13 games that season en route to claiming the franchise’s first NBA title, but five of those defeats came after playing the night before. Overall in 1999, the Spurs were 10-5 either on the second night of a back-to-back, or the third night of a back-to-back-to-back.

Popovich came into this season with a plan to play more players and minimize minutes for older veterans. So far, he’s seen no reason to deviate from that prescription.

“You play to win, but you don’t want to drive anybody into the ground,” Popovich said.

For Duncan — the only player older than 31 on the Spurs’ suddenly fresh-faced active roster, now that Ginobili is out — that’s meant playing past the 30-minute mark only once in seven games. In all, 12 Spurs players are averaging double digits in minutes.

“I think everybody is feeling good about that part of it,” Duncan said. “It’s a long season. Pop understands that.”

If it keeps Duncan off his feet, and the ugly wins piling up, the Spurs will take it.

“Every team has to go through those stretches,” Duncan said. “We just have to find a way to fight through them.”