Spurs beat worst to move into first

By Jeff McDonald

In the Internet age of ESPN and Twitter and smart phones and tablet apps, it is almost impossible for an NBA player to avoid the NBA standings. They are accessible to anybody, anywhere, via the simple click of a mouse.

So are scores from around the league, updated in real time, play-by-play and basket-by-basket.

Still, with all this inescapable information zipping through cyberspace at the speed of light, Spurs guard Danny Green admits he was unaware what was at stake in the Spurs’ 128-103 victory over New Orleans on Friday night at the ATT Center.

First place in the Western Conference?

“We knew we were close,” Green said. “But I didn’t know tonight would be the night.”

Combined with Oklahoma City’s loss at Indiana nearly an hour earlier, the Spurs’ unmerciful beatdown of the woeful Hornets moved them to the top of the West standings for the first time this season.

True, the lead the 39-14 Spurs hold over the Thunder is microscopic — a mere 9/100ths of a percentage point — and there is far too much season left to be popping champagne corks now. But for now, the Spurs will enjoy the view from the top while it lasts.

“It’s always  good to hold your own destiny in your hands,” said guard Gary Neal, whose team owns the head-to-head  tiebreaker with Oklahoma City.

Against New Orleans, Tim Duncan scored 19 points to head a list of six players in double figures, and the Spurs raced to a 28-point lead in the first half before cruising to a 10th straight victory. The Spurs now own the two longest winning streaks in the NBA this season, having won 11 in a row from Jan. 30 to Feb. 20.

Win No. 10 came by way of the Spurs’ highest-scoring night of the season, surpassing a 125-90 victory in Cleveland four nights earlier.

If the Spurs appeared hyper-motivated to take advantage of Oklahoma City’s misfortune Friday, pin it on coincidence. Laser focused, many players were blissfully unaware of the various standings storylines heading into their game against New Orleans.

A game ahead of the Spurs to start the night, the Thunder fell into a 24-point hole early in Indiana before losing 103-98. By the time the Spurs took the floor against New Orleans, the West’s last-place team, first place was in play.

News of the Thunder’s struggles did not exactly spread like wildfire in the Spurs locker room before tipoff at the ATT Center.

“I think one of the ballboys came in and told us,” Manu Ginobili said.

At about the time the Pacers were finishing off the Thunder, the Spurs were putting the final polish on a season-best 72-point first half, making 30 of 45 shots and taking a 25-point lead into intermission.

With no starter logging more than Kawhi Leonard’s 21 minutes, five reserves scored in double figures for the Spurs, who recorded a season-best 31 assists.

Ginobili and Patrick Mills each produced 14 points off the bench, while all 13 members of the Spurs’ active roster scored. The Spurs’ reserves combined for 82 points, the most prolific night for an NBA bench since Jan. 3, 2000, when the Orlando subs also accounted for 82 against Detroit.

Already ahead by 10 heading into the second quarter, the Spurs reeled off a 23-5 run in the second quarter to transform the entire night into an exercise in scoreboard-watching.

New Orleans coach Monty Williams bemoaned his team’s defense after the Spurs shot a season-best 60.7 percent — “We couldn’t guard a bike if we were riding it” — but even he knew his hamstrung roster was no match for the one belonging to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“They look like they’re primed for a championship run,” said Williams, whose team fell to 14-41.

Friday, the Spurs took over first place in the West, then reacted as if they’d just found some spare change in a couch cushion.

“We don’t want to get crazy about it,” Ginobili said.

Indeed, the Spurs have been here before, winning 61 games for the West’s top-seed last season, then tumbling in the first round against Memphis. With 13 games still to play this season, the Spurs are guaranteed nothing.

The best course of action, they’ve decided, is to do what they’ve been doing: Keep playing, oblivious to vagaries of the standings, looking up only at the end of the regular season.

First place?

“It’s great, but there’s too many games left,” Duncan said. “We’re going to go through some ups and downs. We’re going to lose some games. They’re (the Thunder) going to lose some games. We’ll see how we come out the other end.”

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Spurs 128, Hornets 103: April 6, 2012


DeJuan Blair reaches in trying to foil Carl Landry on the blocks as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Tony Parker slides between Greiis Vasquez and Chris Kaman as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


DeJuan Blair scores from the backdoor on Chris Kaman as the San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


DeJuan Blair jams one as the San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Kawhi Leonard jams it in the face of Chris Kaman as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Manu Ginobili scores easily on Gustavo Ayon as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


SPORTS James Anderson moves inside of Al-Farouq Aminu as the San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


The Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Chris Kaman pivots on Tiago Splitter as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


SPORTS Manu Ginobili coordinates the team in the first half as the San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Manu Ginobili goes through the net trying to score and draws the foul against Trevor Ariza as the San Antonio Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Tim Duncan takes it to the hoop against Chris Kaman as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Stephen Jackson puts up a shot in the first half as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Tiago Splitter puts up a hook shot against Chris Kaman as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)


Chris Kaman pivots on Tiago Splitter as the Spurs play the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on April 6, 2012. Tom Reel/ San Antonio Express-News (TOM REEL / San Antonio Express-News)

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jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Spurs hold on to fend off Hornets

By Jeff McDonald

NEW ORLEANS — Monty Williams’ team was already depleted when Chris Kaman showed up at shootaround Saturday with flu-like symptoms.

When Trevor Ariza also arrived unable to play on a sore ankle, the New Orleans coach was prepared to pull fans out of the stands to fill out the Hornets’ roster.

Saddled with a short bench of his own in the middle of a back-to-back-to-back, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich considered a more radical alternative.

“I thought about calling (George) Gervin,” Popovich joked. “But he was busy.”

The Spurs didn’t quite require the services of a 59-year-old Iceman, but they needed every iota of production from everyone else to sneak by the Hornets 89-86 at New Orleans Arena.

With Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter home in San Antonio, and Gary Neal a late scratch with a sprained left foot, the Spurs had to dig deep to fend off the team with the Western Conference’s worst record.

The Hornets were playing hurt too, with five rotation players out, yet still managed to push the Southwest Division-leading Spurs to the brink.

It wasn’t until the final 1:19, when Tim Duncan hit a go-ahead tip-in, Danny Green followed with a jumper and New Orleans’ Marco Bellinelli left a tying 3-pointer short at the horn that the Spurs (32-14) were able to escape with their sixth victory in the past seven games.

“It was not pretty, but we’ll take it,” said Tony Parker, who returned after missing a game and a half with a stiff hamstring. “We didn’t play our best game, but it’s a good win for us.”

Ginobili did not make the trip, with Popovich opting to rest his star guard in the midst of the season’s most grueling stretch. Splitter missed his second game with back spasms.

It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of night, and with 20 games left to be crammed into the next month, there will likely be more of them to come.

The Spurs’ reward for survival? Their third game in three nights, tonight at home against Philadelphia.

DeJuan Blair sparked the Spurs early, scoring 23 points in three quarters before falling victim to the vagaries of Popovich’s rotation. He did not play at all in the fourth.

Parker had his moments, too, scoring six of his 12 points in a 2 1/2–minute span of the third. He also notched 10 assists, seven of which came before he even attempted a shot.

Later, Stephen Jackson scored six straight points — including a driving dunk to start the fourth — to give the Spurs life.

“New Orleans, for most of the game, was more efficient than we were and executed better than we did,” Popovich said. “We had to hang in there and keep plugging. It’s probably the best thing we did.”

For the second time this season, Jarrett Jack torched the Spurs for 27 points, hitting 11 of his first 14 shots before ending 0 for 5.

With Kaman and Ariza joining Emeka Okafor and Eric Gordon on the injured list, and Jason Smith serving a two-game suspension for his Flagrant-2 foul against the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Jack guided a lineup better suited to the D-League to the cusp of an upset.

As far as Popovich is concerned, New Orleans’ woeful 12-36 record should come with an asterisk.

“I don’t think there’s any staff or players or organization that’s had as difficult of circumstances as them, and they continue to play hard every game,” Popovich said.

The NBA’s top 3-point shooting team, the Spurs went just 2 of 19 from beyond the arc, perhaps a sign of tired legs after an emotional home victory a night earlier against Dallas.

Even when the Spurs seemed to have the game sealed, they made things difficult. After his team made its first 15 foul shots, Green missed a pair with 2.3 seconds left that could have spared the Spurs the drama of having to defend a final possession.

“It was a tough game,” Blair said. “But we need games like this.”

In the end, the Spurs won’t quibble with the details. In a season in which every game seems to come with a built-in excuse to lose, the Spurs will take the wins however they come.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

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Spurs 89, Hornets 86: March 24, 2012


Spurs guard Tony Parker, left, keeps the ball from New Orleans Hornets’ Lance Thomas (42) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) works his way to the basket against New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Johnson (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


New Orleans Hornets guard Xavier Henry (4) and center Gustavo Ayon (15) defend Spurs forward Boris Diaw (33) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Wlliams yells to the officials in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Spurs in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) watch as an official calls a foul in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


New Orleans Hornets’ Jarrett Jack goes to the basket in front of Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs center Tim Duncan, right, and Spurs guard Stephen Jackson (3) double team New Orleans Hornets forward Carl Landry (24) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)


San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) shoots over New Orleans Hornets forward Gustavo Ayon (15) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) passes around New Orleans Hornets forward Carl Landry (24) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs guard Daniel Green (4) and New Orleans Hornets guard Jarrett Jack (2) battle for a loose ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


New Orleans Hornets guard Jarrett Jack (2) holds the ball after turning it over to the Spurs in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) loses the ball as he is fouled by the New Orleans Hornets in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) and Spurs forward Matt Bonner (15) block the shot of New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) and New Orleans Hornets forward Gustavo Ayon (15) tangle in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)


Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) and New Orleans Hornets forward Gustavo Ayon (15) reach for a loose ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The Spurs defeated the Hornets 89-86. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) (AP)

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What the Spurs and Hornets said after Thursday’s game

Here’s a collection of comments  from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 93-81 victory over New Orleans Thursday night at the ATT Center.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(What helped you get started closing this game out?)

“Lots of things helped us.  Maybe we made a shot, maybe we missed a shot.  I don’t know.  A lot of things happen on the court, it’s not one thing.  Finally the game broke.  We made a few stops in a row and were fortunate enough to score at the other end at the same time and that’s what happened.”

(Discuss the defensive execution in the fourth quarter …)

“Again, the defense generated offense for us as the game went on into the fourth quarter.  I thought Tony was really good in the second half in forcing the issue and I thought Tiago had a great run in there defensively and offensively. The two of them really got us going and that was it.  New Orleans work hard.  You know they’re injured and they got guys out there going 100 percent constantly.  Monty and those guys do a great job with them and they just didn’t have all their pieces and that’s tough.”

 (On Tim Duncan…he seemed to have a lot of energy again tonight after last night…)

“We kept his minutes down.  He didn’t play that much.  As long as the minutes are low, he feels pretty good.”

 (On Tim Duncan…it seems like in the last two games he’s consciously trying to play in the post more …)

“He has.  He feels really good.  He feels like he’s got a good balance and that’s always a good sign when he wants the ball down on the block.”

 (On Tiago and Tony playing together…they seem to have a nice kinship going…)

“Yeah.  At one point, Tony came over and told me what he wanted to run because of Tiago and he thought he could get him the ball and he did it.  Tiago went right to the hole and scored.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan

(On his aggressive performance tonight…)

“You know, I just took the initiative to be aggressive and attack them a little bit. We didn’t have shots falling from the outside as we didn’t shoot the three-ball real well. Opportunities were there, so I just took them when I could.”

(On whether his high number of free throws was due to being in the post more…)

“I’m just trying to attack when I get the ball. I’ve had some good situations the last couple of games to attack and I’ve gotten to the free throw line luckily. That’s just a big part of it. It helps me get started and it helps me in feeling good, so I just need to get to the free throw line more often.”

(On whether their skipping of practice will be good for them against Oklahoma City…)

“You know, I think we had some tired legs tonight as you could tell with our shooters. Guys were worn out a little bit and it’ll be good for us. It’s a crazy season as it’s taking a lot out of a lot of people. Any rest is good rest. I don’t think we’re going to lose much in just today, as it’s good to get some rest under our belts. I know there are a lot of games coming up as well as the season we have ahead of us.”

(On the defense in the fourth quarter with New Orleans trying to catch up…)

“I don’t understand it either. I thought we were playing pretty decent defense all the way through. They made some shots especially in the first half as they made shots from some guys were weren’t expecting. We stuck with it, stuck with the game plan we had, as it finally started to turn for us.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitter

(On his performance in the fourth quarter…)

“Well, I think we had a great run as our defense stepped up a little bit. Offensively, I think TP runs the team very well as he finds the right guy open every time.”

(On the comfort he had with the offense tonight…)

“These are the kind of games where if you’re comfortable you have to ask for the ball. Overall, I think I‘ve been doing this for years even though this is my second year in the NBA. I’m feeling good and comfortable on the court, so I’m just trying to play my game.”

(On his drive on the top of the key…)

“That was a weird handoff from Tony but I saw my man sleeping, so I just went to the basket and tried to score.”

(On his thoughts about the upcoming matchup against Oklahoma City…)

“They’re a tough team. They’re very athletic, they play very fast and they have great players. You can see why they’re one of the best teams in the NBA right now. We got to have a great game and start very well to matchup against them.”

(On whether the talks about Oklahoma City being the best is creating motivation…)

“Of course. Also by playing at home in front of our crowd, we want to play good. We want to show our basketball as we know what we can do and it starts with our defense.”

New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams

(When asked about what he noticed in the game at the start of the fourth quarter…)

“We tied it up and then Gary Neal hit that three at the end of the quarter.  That was a bit of a let down because we know that’s what he does.  You have got to close out on him as the hot guy and make sure he puts the ball down.  They (the Spurs) just executed.  Their main guys stepped up.  They guys we were counting on to step up tonight just didn’t have it.  If you can hold San Antonio to that amount points you take it.  Our shooting and ability to score the ball wasn’t there in the fourth quarter.”

Follow up to previous question (When asked you called that quick timeout in the fourth what did you tell your players?)

“I told them to slow it down.  You don’t have to get it all in one possession.  They (the Spurs) made a run and we expected that on their home floor.  So we tried to go out there and run a set where we could get a good possession and we weren’t able to do it.”

(When asked about the play of Trevor Ariza and Jason Smith, did the Spurs do anything to try to make it tougher on them tonight…)

“I don’t think so.  With Jason (Smith) because he shoots the ball so well, teams are rotating to him.  Outside of that, I don’t think so.  We have to be forceful at the basket and try to dunk the ball.  For the most part, the ball was moving in the first half.  In the second half, I thought it came to a stand still at times.  It’s easy to play against iso-basketball.”

(When asked about the play of his guards tonight…)

“I thought they did O.K. With the circumstances I thought that Greivis (Vasquez) was really good in the first half.  Squeaky (Carldell Johnson) gave us great minutes.”

Hornets guard Marco Belinelli

(On what happened tonight…)

“In the fourth quarter, we only had 13 points and they had 22. That’s good on our defensive part but we just didn’t stick to our principle on offense. We stood with them the entire game. It’s just closing out games like coach said over and over but like I said last night, we just have to flush the toilet on this one and look forward to the next game and continue to work harder.”

(On coming out of the timeout in the fourth quarter, what did coach tell you guys…)

“Just to stay out there and run our stuff. Sometimes when we get into a pinch, we start doing stuff uncharacteristically not us, not running our offense and trying to go one on one basketball. We need to stay with what has kept us in the game and what has kept the game close. I felt like we were starting to get away from that so I tried to get the guys together and get us realigned.”

 Hornets guard Greivis Vasquez

(On the inability of closing out in the fourth quarter…)

“I take responsibility for that because I was the point guard out there today. In the last five minutes, I should have taken control of the game better. It is just a learning process, but I’m tired of learning. I don’t want to learn no more. I really take responsibility because as a young guy here, you have to learn quick. There are no excuses. It’s not coach, we are playing good defense and we are holding teams to a low score. At times we turn the ball over, then we try to come back and it is too late. We waste too much energy and when we are playing all stars we cannot be doing that.”

(Does it get frustrating by each loss?)

“We lost the last two games in the fourth quarter. We play hard in the third quarter and then we do not execute in the fourth (quarter). As a point guard, it is hard to fill Chris Paul’s shoes, but I expect myself to be better and that takes a little work. I’m going to get back and work, watch film and see how I can get better. ”