Gregg Popovich | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs’ energy in road win jolts Grizzlies

By Jeff McDonald

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Less than an hour before tipoff Monday night at the FedEx Forum, Matt Bonner gingerly made his way from the visitors’ locker room and headed down the corridor toward the floor.

He looked like a man in need of a massage, an Advil and a nap, in some order.

After playing a key role in the Spurs’ marathon bench run a night earlier in Dallas, Bonner admitted to being spent even before the game in Memphis began.

The effect of the lockout schedule?

“Nah,” the 31-year-old sharpshooter said. “I’m just a year older.”

Crusty by reputation only, the Spurs stunningly steamed into Memphis a night after dropping an overtime heartbreaker in Dallas and rolled the Grizzlies, 83-73.

Bonner supplied much of the offense, dropping in five 3-pointers for 15 points, while Tim Duncan (14), Richard Jefferson (13), Kawhi Leonard (12) and Danny Green (11) all reached double digits.

It was the Spurs’ energy — and the Grizzlies’ lack thereof — that earned their most lopsided road victory of the season.

“It was a hell of an effort to come back with the intensity they played with,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who won at the FedEx Forum for the first time since March 2010. “It was really nice to see.”

In that, Popovich’s decision of a night earlier to play his reserves for the final 19:44, including overtime, of a 101-100 loss in Dallas seemed to pay off.

In Memphis, the Spurs built a big lead — 20 points heading into the fourth quarter — so Popovich could rest his exhausted bench.

Having expended a full tank in coming back from 18 points only to lose the night before, and riding a two-game losing streak into Memphis, the Spurs sensed danger before their charter flight had even left Dallas air space.

“It didn’t look good last night,” guard Tony Parker said. “When we lost that game, we were like, ‘Man, we have to play in Memphis on the back-to-back, and Memphis is waiting for us?’?”

Instead, the Spurs (13-9) came out fighting and firing.

In a sense, albeit with much lower stakes, they did to the Grizzlies what the Grizzlies had done to them in last season’s six-game playoff upset. Sure, Memphis is without injured forward Zach Randolph, but the Spurs didn’t have even a one-armed Manu Ginobili.

Monday, the Spurs guarded, holding Memphis to 37 percent shooting and leading scorer Rudy Gay to a 0-for-7 clunker.

They rebounded, earning a 46-37 edge, including 14-9 on the offensive end, against a team that mopped the glass with them in April.

They corralled more than their share of loose balls, including one late in the third quarter that set the fuse on the Spurs’ rout.

Memphis’ Sam Young drove baseline for what looked like an easy layup, only to have Duncan reject it. The rebound went up for grabs, and Green wrestled it away from Young.

The ball ended up in Bonner’s hands on the other end, and he swished a trailing 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 64-47 lead.

“That’s what we’re going to have to bank on,” Duncan said. “We have a hard time generating offense sometimes. The one thing we can bring is that energy.”

How did a Spurs team that lost a game at Milwaukee earlier this season while shooting 60 percent win one Monday while shooting 40? Energy.

Did someone say energy? Memphis coach Lionel Hollins, whose team fell to 10-10 with a four-game losing skid, blasted his team for lacking it.

“When you don’t make shots, you don’t rebound and you don’t defend, you’re going to lose,” Hollins said.

It is possible the Spurs’ energy infusion was a carryover from the second half in Dallas, when the team’s young bench players went Jolt Cola and nearly pulled off a comeback win.

“After we lost last night, I think a lot of us wanted to come in here and give a much better effort,” Duncan said. “Like our second squad gave us last night.”

Even a night after Dallas, it seems, the Spurs’ younger players were still inspiring those who feel just a year older.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Spurs 83, Grizzlies 73: Jan. 30, 2012

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) looks to pass around San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair (45) and guard Tony Parker (9), of France, in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33), of Spain, runs into San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter (22), of Brazil, in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs won 83-73. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9), of France, shoots past Memphis Grizzlies guard Josh Selby (2) in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs won 83-73. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo (32) drives past San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) for a shot in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs won 83-73. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) drives while fouled by Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33), of Spain, in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs won 83-73. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Matt Bonner (15) stretches for a rebound under pressure by Memphis Grizzlies guard Sam Young (4) in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs won 83-73. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33), of Spain, drives on San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Jim Weber) (AP)

Buck Harvey: What Popovich couldn’t say — it wasn’t our night

MIAMI — Gregg Popovich went at his guys again, because this is what he does. He tells them what he thinks they need to hear on a certain night and, Tuesday, he thought they needed a scolding.

“We should be embarrassed,” he said.

He thinks this will help them next time. But he also knows this stance is better than acknowledging what really happened. There wasn’t much the Spurs could have done, no matter how physical they became, because this is what happens when LeBron James makes outside shots.

Mostly, you lose.

Mostly, you don’t lose like this. The Spurs scored 35 points in the first quarter without shooting a free throw, which might be an NBA first. Then, in the span of the third quarter, the Spurs went from a 14-point lead to wondering when Popovich would pull the starters to get ready for Orlando tonight.

Ever seen anything like it?

“Never,” said Richard Jefferson, and he’s been in the league for only 10 years.

There was certainly something to Popovich’s I-felt-we-folded speech. The Heat played the first half as if all of them had caught James’ cold, then began the second by blitzing and cutting. The Spurs, led by a suddenly unsure Tony Parker, had no response.

Still, when someone such as Mike Miller comes off the bench, playing for the first time all season, and throws in all six of his shots, all 3-pointers, well, how physical would the Spurs have had to be? Rarely do teams lose with an 18-point windfall like that.

But it started with James, not Miller, and with a similar reversal. While Miller hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer this season before Tuesday, James had made only three.

James swished that many in the third quarter alone, and maybe he only thought that was fair. When Danny Green ended the second quarter as he did the first, with a last-second 3, it happened at halfcourt with James next to him.

James looked at his bench with wide eyes, as if to say, can you believe it?

In the third quarter, James gave another look. Then, after his third 3-pointer, Popovich called time out, and James gave a long, significant stare at the Spurs’ bench.

Why?

“If they are going to back off,” he said, “I’m going to shoot.”

But everyone backs off of him, and that’s been the genesis of his playoff collapses in Cleveland and last year against Dallas. James can lose all confidence in his jumper and, with that gone, he loses confidence in everything else.

Bruce Bowen used the strategy in the 2007 Finals. If you give James anything, you give him the area behind the arc where he’s less than 33 percent for his career. Kawhi Leonard played James as Bowen did, but James turned into what he can be, which is the best player in the world.

Tim Duncan witnessed both 2007 and Tuesday. And afterward, when told what Popovich had said to the media, Duncan’s answer was telling.

“LeBron was coming down hitting tough ones,” he said. “That’s what you want guys to do. Every once in a while, someone’s going to get in the zone.”

Embarrassed?

Duncan didn’t sound that way.

That said, everything can’t be attributed to the other team shooting well. Duncan and the Spurs are one of only three teams that are winless on the road, and they face another test tonight in Orlando.

So Popovich will push on, correcting what he can, chewing out the Spurs when he isn’t encouraging them. And, in doing so, he will never give in to the reality of these nights, not as Parker did when he was asked about James.

“There is,” Parker shrugged, “not much you can do.”

bharvey@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Heat 120, Spurs 98: Jan. 17, 2012

San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) looks to pass as Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) passes the ball as Miami Heat’s LeBron James, left, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) wipes his face during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) shoots over San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) and DeJuan Blair (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra puts his hand to his head during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) looks to pass as San Antonio Spurs’ Daniel Green (4) and Matt Bonner (15) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Norris Cole (30) looks to pass the ball as San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) and Richard Jefferson (24) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh (1) shoots as San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade cheers from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Spurs 120-98. Wade did not play due to a sprained right ankle. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) reacts after shooting a 3-pointer as San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. Miller contributed 18 points as the Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’, from left, DeJuan Blair, Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Danny Green watch from the bench in the closing seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) drives to the basket as Miami Heat’s James Jones (22) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich watches his team during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

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.