Gary Neal | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs’ blowout loss blemish in big picture

By Mike Monroe

DENVER — The first half of the don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it Spurs season ended with a calculated thud in Portland on Tuesday night.

The outcome of the 33rd game of the 66-game post-lockout season was a 40-point loss that will skew some of Gregg Popovich’s favorite statistical benchmarks: opponent points allowed and opponent field-goal percentage.

The Trail Blazers’ 137 points and 59.3 percent shooting were season highs for a Spurs opponent.

Count on the Spurs’ coach to use those defensive efficiency measures as a prod when he needs a motivational tool.

Loss aside, it was rest for his top two scorers one night after claiming the team’s seventh victory of the nine-game rodeo road trip that mattered to Popovich — not extending an NBA season-best 11-game win streak heading into tonight’s game in Denver.

There was little expectation the Spurs would win a road game against the Blazers without five members of Popovich’s preferred playing rotation: team captain Tim Duncan, All-Star point guard Tony Parker, star shooting guard Manu Ginobili, backup point guard T.J. Ford and backup center Tiago Splitter.

Even after ending the first half of the regular season with such a lopsided loss, Popovich knows his team has exceeded every expectation anyone had for it, including its ability to thrive after Ginobili broke his left hand in just the fifth game of the season.

Getting to the midway mark with a 23-10 record that leads the Southwest Division and is second-best in the Western Conference surprised even him.

“They’ve exceeded expectations, without a doubt,” Popovich said.

There are many explanations for such overachievement, and Popovich went down the list one by one:

?“We’ve had some people who have had some of their best years, like Matt Bonner. I think this is his best all-around season so far.

?“Tiago Splitter has given us what we thought he would give us when we brought him over (from the Spanish ACB League), so that’s been a good addition.

?“The young guys like Gary Neal, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard have all done a good job and exceeded expectations we had for them considering what kind of a season this is and how short training camp was. So you have to be pleased with what they’ve done.

?“Duncan has played at such a high level, I thought he should have made the All-Star team again.”

?“And, obviously, Tony Parker has played at a very high level. It may be his very highest level ever, because he’s not just scoring; he’s assisting, he’s playing defense and he’s leading.

Duncan and Parker will be back in the starting lineup against a Nuggets team that had to play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The Nuggets’ charter flight wasn’t scheduled to land in Denver until after 3 a.m.

Popovich wants his players to maintain the unified play that made the first 33 games such a surprising success and re-establish their competitive edge.

“The group has played unselfishly, really played solid basketball, night in and night out and showed some mental toughness,” he said. “Hopefully, we don’t lose that edge during the All-Star break.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Parker fuels rare triumph in Philly

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Spurs 100, Sixers 90: Feb. 8, 2012

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker celebrates after scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) drives against Philadelphia 76ers’ Jrue Holiday in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair, left, fights for a loose ball with Philadelphia 76ers’ Elton Brand (42) in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) goes up for a shot as Philadelphia 76ers’ Elton Brand (42) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) goes up for a basket as Philadelphia 76ers’ Andre Iguodala, top right, and Elton Brand (42) defend in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks to Tony Parker(9) as they play against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) defends as Philadelphia 76ers’ Lou Williams (23) goes up for a shot in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

Philadelphia 76ers’ Thaddeus Young (21) scores against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal, , front left, drives against Philadelphia 76ers’ Lou Williams, behind, in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, right, goes up for shot as Philadelphia 76ers’ Jrue Holiday (11) defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter (22) has his shot blocked by Philadelphia 76ers’ Lavoy Allen in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

By Jeff McDonald

PHILADELPHIA — The name has changed over the years, from the CoreStates Center to First Union Center to Wachovia Center to the Wells Fargo Center.

Informally, the building had also been known as Spectrum II and Stack’s House, after Jerry Stackhouse, the team’s star when the place was built in 1996.

None of the name changes were enough to fool Tony Parker.

For as long as he’s been with the Spurs, the arena the Philadelphia 76ers call home might as well have been the Temple of Doom.

“Our history is really bad here,” Parker said. “We played so bad in Philly. I figured we had to get a win here sometime.”

Behind the kind of performance from Parker that channeled a pint-sized Philly scoring star of a bygone era — Allen Iverson — the Spurs thwarted the 76ers 100-90 on Wednesday, ending a string of helplessness in the City of Brotherly Love.

Parker scored 37 points, which would have been a season high if not for the 42 he dumped on Oklahoma City on Saturday, to help the Spurs run their season-best winning streak to six games.

Before Wednesday, the Spurs had won an NBA championship more recently than they’d won a game in Philadelphia. The win broke a string of four straight road losses to the 76ers.

It was just the Spurs’ third victory in the building now known as the Wells Fargo Center in the last 11 years.

“We always joke there’s something in the water here,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before tipoff. “Every time we’re here, we get put back on our heels. We can’t score a basket. Defense just swarms us, and we seem to give in.”

None of the above happened Wednesday, as the Spurs (18-9) moved to 2-0 on their annual rodeo trip, with games against Eastern Conference dregs New Jersey, Detroit and Toronto just ahead.

In what might be their final game without injured guard Manu Ginobili — who Popovich said could return against the Nets on Saturday — the Spurs produced perhaps their most impressive victory of the season.

Gary Neal added 18 points for the Spurs, hitting all four of his 3-pointers, and Tiago Splitter picked-and-rolled to 15 as the Spurs beat back the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers (18-8) on their home floor.

Tim Duncan contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double, while the Spurs reached 100 points against a Sixers team that came in allowing a league-low 86.6 on average.

“We kind of played consistently,” said Duncan, whose team owns the NBA’s longest active win streak. “They hit some shots that kept them in the game. We stuck with it and got our defense to start working for us. We’re starting to play the way we want to play.”

As has often been the case recently, Parker carried the Spurs when it mattered.

Though Wednesday’s scoring binge won’t do much for Parker’s All-Star chances — reserve ballots were due Tuesday, with results to be announced tonight — no Western Conference coach who voted for him is apt to regret it.

Parker was a perfect 13 of 13 from the line against the 76ers, a testament to an offensive aggressiveness he sustained throughout. He also had eight assists.

“He had that ball on a string,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “We just never could get him under control.”

When the game teetered in the third quarter, with the Sixers taking a brief lead and ghosts of Philadelphia failures past howling, Parker took over.

At a timeout early in the second half, Popovich hit Parker with familiar marching orders.

“He thought it was a good moment to be aggressive,” Parker said.

Parker responded by scoring 11 points in the quarter’s final 9:21, and the Spurs took a 75-67 lead into the fourth.

Half an hour later, with Parker as a guide, the Spurs walked out of their Temple of Doom with a road victory that felt better than most.

“Our history here hadn’t been very good,” Duncan said. “We needed this win.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

New Big 3 propels Spurs to 11th in a row

By Mike Monroe

SALT LAKE CITY — About to send his team out against the Utah Jazz on Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena without a key starter and a valued reserve, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked how his team would cope.

“We just have to play with whoever is left,” he said.

Those players who remained, even without guard Manu Ginobili and center Tiago Splitter, were enough to score a 106-102 victory that extended the NBA’s longest winning streak of the lockout-shortened season to 11 games. It included All-Star point guard Tony Parker, forward Tim Duncan and reserve big man Matt Bonner, who combined for 63 points, each scoring at least 20.

“Yes,” Duncan said, chuckling, poking a bit of fun at Bonner. “We’re a new Big Three.”

Duncan found easy humor after Monday’s game because the Spurs continue to win regardless of circumstance, but he made certain to acknowledge what Bonner was able to do for a team that could ill-afford to play from the inside out without Splitter, who has been so good in the post this season.

“Matty was key for us tonight,” Duncan said. “He was great for us. They have some talented bigs down there, and to be able to spread the floor and continue to score points for us when we really needed it (was big).

“When he plays like that, our team is that much better.”

The biggest shot Monday came from Richard Jefferson. Scoreless through the first three quarters, Jefferson nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Spurs a 105-100 lead with 6.5 seconds remaining.

“You just have to have a lot of confidence in yourself,” Jefferson said. “I haven’t shot the ball well or played particularly well lately, but you have to be ready when you get the opportunity.”

When the Spurs departed on their rodeo road trip Feb. 6, they were 16-7 but just 3-8 on the road. Monday’s win was their seventh on the nine-game swing that will continue tonight in Portland, and they already are assured the second-most wins since the annual trek began in the 2002-03 season.

That they were able to overcome a 13-point third-quarter deficit resulted from a resolve that Duncan finds gratifying and slightly amazing.

“Presistence,” Duncan said after putting in nearly 38 minutes after logging more than 41 in an overtime victory Saturday against the Clippers. “We stuck with it. We came out in the second half and didn’t play well, and (the Jazz) got themselves a nice lead, but that shows the character of the team that has shown up in the last 10 or 15 games.

“We’re really starting to turn a corner. We kept on playing, kept on making plays, got in the penalty early in the fourth quarter and kept using it.”

Duncan was on the court for all but 1:07 of the fourth quarter, and Parker worked the final 9:05, directing most of the offensive thrust.

“Tony’s an All-Star and did what he’s been doing for us all year: Scoring, finding people, playing tough defense, being a leader,” Popovich said. “We had a lot of people participate tonight. I thought Tim was his same solid self. What he does for us defensively doesn’t show up, but he rebounded, he scored, and we ran the ball through him for a lot of the game.

“Those two guys were magnificent, and the bench was good again.”

Popovich got a surprise spark off the bench from James Anderson, the second-year guard whose playing time has been limited this season. Though he played just 7??1/2 minutes, he made a 3-pointer in the third period during the rally from 13 down and hit a twisting, left-handed hook shot in the fourth period.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Spurs 106, Jazz 102: Feb. 20, 2012

Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) takes a shot while defended by Jazz forward Paul Millsap (24) and guard Gordon Hayward (20) during the first half on an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) goes for a rebound while defended by Jazz forwards C.J. Miles (34) and Paul Millsap (24) during the first half on an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Spurs center Tim Duncan, right, is defended by Jazz forward Paul Millsap during the first half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) attempts a shot while defended by Jazz center Al Jefferson, left, forwards Paul Millsap, second from right and C.J. Miles (34) during the first half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Jazz center Al Jefferson, left, is defended by Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) during the first half on a NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap (24) attempts a shot while defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, right, during the second half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich argues a call during the second half on a NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Utah Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin argues a call during the first half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap (24) and San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) jockey for position during the second half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal, left, and San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner (15) reacts after a play during the second half on a NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) works to get around Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap (24) during the second half on an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, left, shoots over Utah Jazz’s Paul Millsap during the second half on a NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Salt Lake City. The Spurs won 106-102. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart) (AP)