Luis Scola | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs notebook: Splitter’s lessons crafted on court

NEW ORLEANS — A student of the NBA game long before he ever played in one, Spurs center Tiago Splitter spent many a night in Spain watching whatever film from America he could get his hands on.

It’s a practice he continued last season after coming over from the Spanish League.

Finally a fixture in coach Gregg Popovich’s rotation in his second NBA season, Splitter is learning something that he long suspected about the American game: Playing it is more beneficial than watching it.

“You learn more when you play,” said Splitter, the 27-year-old Brazilian who appeared in just 60 games as a rookie. “You learn from what you see every day and get a feel for the game.”

A trip around the league has made Splitter more comfortable and confident on the court, particularly in the low block. He is learning how certain defenders — such as Houston’s Luis Scola and Jordan Hill on Saturday — want to attack him, and, as importantly, how to counterattack.

With Tim Duncan out of the lineup for a 105-102 loss to the Rockets, Splitter exploded for a career-high 25 points off the bench, going 11 of 13 from the floor.

Heading into tonight’s game at New Orleans, Splitter is averaging 8.6 points and five rebounds — up from 4.6 points and 3.4 boards as a rookie. He has already logged seven double-digit scoring nights, after posting nine all of last season.

“He basically didn’t play last year, so it’s all new to him,” Popovich said. “He’s a student. He watches film, he understands players. He’s a quick learner.”

No pressure: Duncan earned his first day off of the season Saturday against the Rockets, benched by Popovich for rest reasons. The Hornets are unlikely to be as lucky tonight.

Looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season, Spurs players disputed the notion that the loss to the Rockets created added pressure to beat the 3-13 Hornets once Duncan returns.

“We’ve got 49 games left,” said Matt Bonner, who started in Duncan’s spot at power forward. “Every night we come in trying to win. I wouldn’t say we’re putting any extra pressure on ourselves because we lost one game.”

Rest for the weary: In light of Duncan’s DNP, Popovich admitted the lockout-compressed schedule, with few natural breaks built in, has made resting players a difficult chore.

“It’s more difficult to manage than usual,” Popovich said. “You have to constantly filter in how many minutes your players are playing, how many games you just played, and when’s the last time you had a day off.”

The Spurs have not had more than one day off between games this season, and won’t until the middle of next month’s rodeo trip, when they go Feb. 9 and 10 without a game.

“It’s a little easier with the regular (82-game) schedule,” Popovich said. “You get some breaks here and there, and it kind of takes care of itself to a large degree. This year, you don’t have any of those respites that help you manage.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Buck Harvey: Splitter earns time next to Duncan

HOUSTON — Luis Scola and Tiago Splitter went from South America to Spain to Texas.

Only now are they in a different place.

There was a time when the Spurs wondered if Scola and Tim Duncan were a good fit on the court together.

Today, the Spurs have to wonder if they have any other choice but to play Splitter with Duncan.

Scola met Splitter when Splitter was just 15 years old. “He was a little kid,” Scola said Saturday, smiling, and that’s a memory that would surprise some. Splitter already was close to his 6-foot-11 size then.

Scola also remembers him as smart. They were teammates for five years in Spain, where Splitter admits Scola was the better player.

But Scola says Splitter improved, year by year, and Saturday showed how much. Then, with Duncan sitting out, Splitter went for a career-high and team-high 25 points on ?11-of-13 shooting.

“He’s a big-time pro,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said afterward. “He’s a workhorse … he plays the game the right way.”

He did that most notably in the fourth quarter. He posted, worked with Tony Parker, scored with an offensive rebound and generally gave the Spurs a chance.

Asked if Splitter needed to be on the court more, Popovich shrugged. “It’s hard to get him on the court any more than he is because he is playing a lot. There are only two bigs at a time, and sometimes only one because teams play small. He’s getting as much time as I can play him.”

It’s not much time. Splitter was averaging just 20 minutes coming into Houston. The 25 minutes he played against Sacramento the night before was the most since opening night.

There are reasons. Matchups dictate different lineups, as does the rotation. Starting DeJuan Blair with Duncan, for example, allows Popovich to have either Duncan or Splitter in the lineup.

Splitter says he understands. Besides, it’s not his job to decide such things. “It is Pop’s job,” he said.

Popovich’s decisions are changing this season, though, as he learns more about his roster. And what he keeps learning, as Splitter gets more and more comfortable with the NBA game, is that his backup center might be even better than he thought.

For example, has Popovich already been rethinking the night before against Sacramento? Then, with the Spurs’ shooters missing as they did again Saturday, they failed to go to Splitter in the post. He had only six attempts in the game.

It’s becoming clearer Splitter needs more touches and more time. And eventually, as Popovich and his staff debate the pros and cons of various lineups, they will come to an issue that once included Scola.

Who is the best fit next to Duncan?

Scola says no one with the Spurs ever told him he couldn’t play with Duncan. But among the reasons the Spurs traded him to the Rockets was this:

Would they get in each other’s way on the low block? Did Duncan need another kind of complement other than a scorer?

The years have changed the equation, with Duncan drifting farther out on offense. But so has the roster. Even if the defensive matchups aren’t ideal, sometimes the best players have to be on the floor no matter.

In Duncan’s absence, Splitter looked like one of them. Popovich spoke afterward as if he is one of them, too, as did Scola. He thinks Splitter will be a solid NBA big man for years to come.

So when asked if his former teammate, if this onetime “little kid,” could play next to Duncan, as some once questioned whether he could, Scola said what Popovich and his assistants are likely saying today.

“Why not?” Scola asked.

bharvey@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Rockets 105, Spurs 102 – Jan. 21, 2012

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gestures to his players in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) and Houston Rockets’ Samuel Dalembert, right, battle for the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets’ Chandler Parsons (25) passes the ball over San Antonio Spurs’ Richard Jefferson (24) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) bowls over Houston Rockets’ Patrick Patterson (54) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. Blair was called for an offensive foul on the play. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets’ Patrick Patterson, center, is double-teamed by San Antonio Spurs Gary Neal (14) and Richard Jefferson (24) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Richard Jefferson chews on his shirt in the final minutes of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) passes the ball under pressure from Houston Rockets’ Samuel Dalembert (21) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets’ Patrick Patterson (54) and San Antonio Spurs’ Richard Jefferson (24) go after a loose ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets Courtney Lee (5) and Jordan Hill (27) watch the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale questions a call in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Houston Rockets’ Patrick Patterson (54) and San Antonio Spurs’ Richard Jefferson (24) go after a loose ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) tries to maintain control of the ball as Houston Rockets’ Kevin Martin, left, pursues during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets won 105-102. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) shoots over Houston Rockets’ Courtney Lee (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (AP)

Duncan experiences huge flashback

By Jeff McDonald

Tim Duncan hit a right-handed hook on Samuel Dalembert. A few minutes later, he opted for the left.

Later, he spun Jordan Hill into oblivion on the low block, cleaned up a misconnected alley-oop attempt and dunked home a pass from Gary Neal.

By the time Duncan’s third-quarter trip through time was finished Wednesday, giving the kind of stretch his younger teammates might have read about in their history books, the Spurs had climbed out of a 19-point hole against Houston, on their way to a 99-91 victory.

For Duncan, the most memorable moment of a memorable night happened before the third quarter even began.

“I was just happy to be on the floor, honestly,” Duncan said.

Duncan tallied 16 of his 25 points in a third quarter that began with the Spurs 13 points down, scoring on an array of ? post moves unpacked from moth balls.

There was a chance, given coach Gregg Popovich’s history, Duncan might not have been on the court for the comeback.

In a 105-85 loss at Houston on Dec. 29, with the Spurs (14-9) down 18 at the half and headed nowhere, Popovich chose to sit Duncan the entire second half.

By halftime Wednesday at the ATT Center, point guard Tony Parker was having flashbacks.

“I was thinking Pop was going to pull the plug again,” said Parker, who ended with 24 points. “I’m glad he stuck with us.”

This time, Popovich had a different feel than he had in December at the Toyota Center.

Wednesday, the Rockets (12-10) shot 50 percent in the first half. Kevin Martin scored 21 points in the first two quarters — he finished with 29 — via a shooting pace (7 of 10) he could not possibly sustain. The Spurs, meanwhile, were shooting 35.9 percent, despite some good looks.

“That’s something you have to assess, whether you think guys are playing poorly,” Popovich said, “or if they’re playing well but things aren’t going their way.”

The seeds for Wednesday’s comeback might have been sown Sunday in Dallas, when the Spurs rallied from 20 points down to force overtime before losing 101-100.

“That gave us confidence we could do it,” said forward Matt Bonner, whose 3-pointer with 1:04 left gave the Spurs a 96-91 lead.

This comeback, which earned the Spurs a 2-2 split of the season series with Houston, was different than in Dallas.

Against the Mavericks, the Spurs’ bench played all of the fourth quarter and overtime. Wednesday’s rally was spearheaded by the longest-tenured tandem of teammates in the NBA.

Parker and Duncan had all but one of the Spurs’ field goals in a third quarter they won 28-19.

Mostly, it was Duncan, at age 35 reminding the Rockets that, yes, he once was the league’s MVP.

“It was like he found the Fountain of Youth,” Neal said.

A sign of Duncan’s aggressiveness: He was 7 of 10 from the foul line, the first time he’d tried that many free throws since 2009-10.

When Duncan finished a failed alley-oop from Danny Green to James Anderson — players who were in grade school when Duncan debuted in 1997 — it brought the Spurs within 66-58.

With 7:01 to go, Green hit a corner 3-pointer to give the Spurs an 81-79 lead, their first since 1-0.

“We tried to hang in there,” Parker said. “We just kept fighting.”

The fighting might continue tonight. Popovich has vowed to sit Duncan at least once in four-games-in-five-nights scenarios, which would portend a DNP against New Orleans.

Even after logging 31 minutes Wednesday, Duncan doesn’t think he needs it.

Asked if he would lobby Popovich to play against the Hornets, Duncan appeared nonplussed.

“I didn’t know I needed to lobby,” Duncan said. “I assume I’m playing. I’m assuming I’ll be out there.”

If he has indeed found the Fountain of Youth, Duncan will take a long gulp this morning, and hope for the best tonight.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

– Photos by Billy Calzada

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Spurs 99, Rockets 91: Feb. 1, 2012

Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a layup against the Houston Rockets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, wearing glasses, smiles after Kyle Lowry of the Houston Rockets almost ran into him while chasing a ball out of bounds during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Williams was in town to see San Antonio Spurs player Danny Green, who used to play for him. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich questions a call by official Matt Boland during first-half NBA action against the Houston Rockets at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tony Parker of the San Antonio spurs shoots as Samuel Dalembert of the Houston Rockets defends during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Jordan Hill of the Houston Rockets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets attempts to rebound as Tim Duncan of the Spurs defends during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the Spurs defends as Samuel Dalembert of the Rockets looks to shoot or pass off during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale screams during NBA action against the Spurs at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs hangs from the rim, as is his custom, before the Spurs are introduced for their game against the Houston Rockets at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs battles to keep control of the ball against the Houston Rockets during first-half NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs (2) battles Luis Scola (4) and Samuel Dalembert of the Houston Rockets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan slam dunks during second-half action against the Houston Rockets at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Gary Neal of the Spurs passes off an assist during NBA action at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan smiles from the bench as time winds down on the San Antonio Spurs 99-91 victory over the Houston Rockets at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Fans cheer as the Spurs’ Tim Duncan grabs a rebound in the final seconds of the Spurs’ 99-91 victory over the Houston Rockets at the ATT Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Tony Parker of the Spurs lays up the ball as Samuel Dalembert (21) of the Houston Rockets chases during second-half NBA action on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsHouston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)