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Dawson’s NBA debut ranks among S.A.’s best

Eric Dawson was thrust into the lineup quickly in his first game with the Spurs last week.

With Tiago Splitter and Tim Duncan out, the former Sam Houston standout notched nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 31:41 of playing time in the Spurs’ 137-97 loss Tuesday night at Portland.

He became only the third San Antonio-area high school player to see action for the Spurs, joining West Campus’ Devin Brown (132 games, 2002-05) and MacArthur’s Keith Edmonson (40 games, 1983-84).

Dawson became the 13th player from a San Antonio-area high school to log time in the NBA and the third in the past two seasons, according to .

Express-News staff writer Tim Griffin takes a look at how Dawson’s debut compares with those of other San Antonio-area players from the past:

Bo Outlaw, Jay: Scored 13 points in 22 minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers at the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 15, 1994. Outlaw averaged 5.4 points in 914 career games.

Shaquille O’Neal, Cole: Scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for Orlando against Miami on Nov. 6, 1992. O’Neal averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in 1,207 career games.

Eduardo Najera, Cornerstone Christian Academy: Scored 10 points in 23 minutes for Dallas against Milwaukee on Oct. 31, 2000. Najera is averaging 5.0 points in 604 career games.

Eric Dawson, Sam Houston: Scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 31:41 for the Spurs against Portland on Feb. 28, 2012. Dawson is averaging 4.5 points after two games.

Askia Jones, Marshall: Scored eight points in 16 minutes for Minnesota at Denver on Nov. 4, 1994. Jones averaged 4.1 points in 11 career games.

Bob Kinney, Jefferson: Scored six points for Fort Wayne against the New York Knicks on Nov. 3, 1948. Kinney averaged 9.5 points in 118 career games in the Basketball Association of America and the NBA.

Fennis Dembo, Fox Tech: Scored four points in one minute for Detroit at Phoenix on Nov. 18, 1988. Dembo averaged 1.2 points in 31 career games.

Jeff Foster, Madison: Scored two points in three minutes for Indiana at Charlotte on Nov. 4, 1999. Foster is averaging 4.9 points in 763 career games.

Devin Brown, West Campus: Scored two points in four minutes for the Spurs at Memphis on Nov. 4, 2002. Brown averaged 7.2 points in 465 career games.

Keith Edmonson, MacArthur: Scored two points for Atlanta against Washington on Nov. 2, 1982. Edmonson averaged 6.0 points in 87 career games.

Ivan Johnson, Fox Tech: Scored two points in six minutes for Atlanta against New Jersey on Dec. 27, 2011. Johnson is averaging 4.8 points in 29 career games.

Robert Reid, Clemens: Failed to score for Houston at Kansas City on Oct. 21, 1977. Reid averaged 11.4 points in 919 career games.

Ben Uzoh, Warren: Failed to score in six minutes for New Jersey at the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 15, 2010. Uzoh is averaging 3.7 points in 44 career games.

tgriffin@express-news.net

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NBA players from San Antonio

With his debut last week, Eric Dawson became the 13th player from a San Antonio-area high school to log time in the NBA, and the third to see action for the Spurs. Express-News staff writer Tim Griffin takes a look at how Dawson’s debut compares with those of other San Antonio-area players from the past.

Askia Jones, who played for Marshall, is not pictured. Jones scored eight points in 16 minutes for Minnesota at Denver on Nov. 4, 1994. Jones averaged 4.1 points in 11 career games.

Eric Dawson (right), Sam Houston: Scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 31:41 for the Spurs against Portland on Feb. 28, 2012. Dawson is averaging 4.5 points after two games. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

Devin Brown, West Campus: Scored two points in four minutes for the Spurs at Memphis on Nov. 4, 2002. Brown averaged 7.2 points in 465 career games. (Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News)

Fennis Dembo, Fox Tech: Scored four points in one minute for Detroit at Phoenix on Nov. 18, 1988. Dembo averaged 1.2 points in 31 career games. (Associated Press file photo)

Keith Edmonson, MacArthur: After his Purdue days, scored two points for Atlanta against Washington on Nov. 2, 1982. Edmonson averaged 6.0 points in 87 career games. (Express-News file photo)

Jeff Foster, Madison: Scored two points in three minutes for Indiana at Charlotte on Nov. 4, 1999. Foster is averaging 4.9 points in 763 career games. (Douglas C. Pizac / Associated Press)

Ivan Johnson, Fox Tech: Scored two points in six minutes for Atlanta against New Jersey on Dec. 27, 2011. Johnson is averaging 4.8 points in 29 career games. (John Bazemore / Associated Press)

Eduardo Najera (center), Cornerstone Christian Academy: Scored 10 points in 23 minutes for Dallas against Milwaukee on Oct. 31, 2000. Najera is averaging 5.0 points in 604 career games. (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

Shaquille O’Neal (top), Cole: Scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for Orlando against Miami on Nov. 6, 1992. O’Neal averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in 1,207 career games. (Steve Simoneau / Associated Press)

Bo Outlaw, Jay (right): Scored 13 points in 22 minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers at the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 15, 1994. Outlaw averaged 5.4 points in 914 career games. (William Luther / San Antonio Express-News)

Robert Reid, Clemens: Failed to score for Houston at Kansas City on Oct. 21, 1977. Reid averaged 11.4 points in 919 career games. (Express-News file photo)

Ben Uzoh, Warren (left): Failed to score in six minutes for New Jersey at the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 15, 2010. Uzoh is averaging 3.7 points in 44 career games. (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press)

Blair says team can’t afford to let up now

DENVER — No team in NBA history ever fared better in a stretch of nine consecutive road games than the Spurs did on the rodeo road trip that concluded Thursday with a 114-99 victory in Denver.

Awaiting the Spurs when this weekend’s All-Star break concludes: Seven straight at the ATT Center, where they are 13-1. It is the second-best home-court record in the league, behind only Oklahoma City’s 15-1 mark. The seven-game homestand is to begin Wednesday with a game against the Chicago Bulls, whose 27-8 record is second-best in the Eastern Conference.

DeJuan Blair, who matched his career high with 28 points to spark the Spurs to their 114-99 victory in Denver, said it was more important to focus on the game in Denver as the first game of the second half of the season, rather than the end of the rodeo trip.

“We’re playing great, and we’re ready for the second half of the season,” Blair said. “The first half is over and we played good. We went 8-1 on the road trip. It was pretty cool, but we’ve got to keep playing. The first game back is Chicago, so we know we’ve got to keep playing well and just play hard.”

Blair’s most productive game of the season on Thursday was tonic for the Spurs’ interior game that is missing second-year center Tiago Splitter, likely to miss the first three games of the homestand. He made 12 of 21 shots — season highs in both categories — and grabbed 12 rebounds in 35 minutes, another season high.

Coach Gregg Popovich was happy to see Blair’s aggression.

“He and Tony (Parker) worked really well together,” he said. “Tony got him in positions where he had the ball, but DeJuan’s a really unique player. You never know what you’re going to get, as far as how he’s going to score.”

Avoiding a bad conversation: Popovich found himself rationalizing his decision to rest both Tim Duncan and Parker in Tuesday’s blowout loss in Portland, but he had an easy answer for everyone who questioned it: Duncan’s chronically sore left knee, diagnosed with tendinosis and supported by a knee brace in every practice and game, simply can’t be overworked if he is going to be effective during the playoffs.

“Everybody is going to do it at some point this season,” he said, “and it’s based on minutes played. Sometimes, it’s just got to give, and you’ve got to sit them in hopes it will pay off down the road and Timmy won’t come to me and say, ‘My knee is hurting.’

“I don’t want to hear that statement, and if he plays every game, I will hear that statement before playoffs. I’m just trying to guard against it, and if I make an error I will make it in the direction of caution, rather than the other direction.”

Missing Orlando: Splitter said his strained right calf muscle responded well to treatment he has received while remaining with the team and its athletic training staff for the final three games of the rodeo road trip. His leg feels better than he anticipated a week after the injury occurred during the Spurs’ win over the Clippers in Los Angeles.

He had been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge, the first event of All-Star Weekend in Orlando.

“I will miss it,” he said, “but it is very important I continue to receive treatment on my injury. (Head athletic trainer) Will (Sevening) has done a great job, and it is improving a lot.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Spurs drub Denver to finish rodeo trip

By Mike Monroe

DENVER — Fresh off the worst defeat for any Spurs team since 1997, a 40-point thumping in Portland, this season’s Spurs came out against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center as if they intended to secure their most lopsided victory in the past dozen seasons.

Leading by as many as 28 in the first half, the Spurs eventually settled for a 114-99 victory that closed out their ninth rodeo road trip with an 8-1 record.

Only in 2002-03, when the Spurs lost the first game of the inaugural rodeo trip and won the final eight, had the club produced as good a record for the extended journey.

No team in NBA history has had a better stretch of nine consecutive road games. But closing the trip out with a convincing victory was more important for what it prevented — five days of dwelling on what would have been back-to-back losses.

“It was great to get the win,” team captain Tim Duncan said. “It was important to start the game the right way, and we did that. We were happy with the outcome.”

The rest coach Gregg Popovich gave Duncan and All-Star point guard Tony Parker by holding them out of Tuesday’s game in Portland, derided as an insult to the game in some media quarters, proved a solid strategy. Duncan scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Parker took only four shots in the first half but finished with 16 points and 12 assists.

At 23 years of age, DeJuan Blair doesn’t need extra rest. He played 20-plus minutes in Portland but still had plenty left in Denver. Making 8 of 10 shots in the first half, he finished with 28 points, matching a career high. He also grabbed 12 rebounds.

“I don’t know what got into me,” Blair said. “All-Star break coming up, maybe. I was pretty aggressive. It was fun. A lot of fun.

“We wanted to come out and set the tone. They came off a loss last night, and we were coming off a huge loss. We wanted to hit, hit, hit them first.”

Blair’s aggression hit the Nuggets immediately. He made four of five shots in the first period, when the Spurs jumped out to a 31-15 lead.

“That’s what DeJuan always does,” Duncan said. “He finds a way to score the ball. He’s like a magnet to the ball. It’s just about getting his opportunities. He got a lot of those tonight, and he’ll finish them. He’ll put them in.”

Next up for ever team is All-Star Weekend, a five-day vacation for every Spurs player but Western Conference All-Star Tony Parker and rookie Kawhi Leonard, who will play in tonight’s Rising Stars Challenge.

It will be a welcome break for a team with three players on the injured list. Guard Manu Ginobili and center Tiago Splitter are still more than a week from their projected returns, and point guard T.J. Ford might miss the next game or two before returning.

Those injuries make every day without a game a bonus for the Spurs, now 24-10. Even their youngest player, 20-year-old Leonard, was feeling the fatigue of the rodeo trip. Feeling tightness in both calves at halftime Thursday, he sat out the second half, a luxury afforded to Popovich by their big lead.

As much rest as Duncan, Parker and their teammates got after the debacle in Portland, the short-handed Nuggets were primed for a fatigue-induced letdown. They arrived in Denver after 2 in the morning Thursday from a Wednesday night loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Popovich said Thursday’s game was not a fair contest.

“Considering what (the Nuggets) had to go through, not just with injuries but with the schedule they just had, it was not a fair fight. They deserve a lot of credit for hanging in the whole game and making a run. A lot of teams would have packed it in. They showed a lot of character, and I’m sure (coach) George (Karl) is proud of them for that.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net
twitter.com/Monroe_SA

– Associated Press photos

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Spurs 114, Nuggets 99: Feb. 23, 2012

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) scores with Denver Nuggets center Chris Andersen (11) defending during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) and head coach Gregg Popovich, right, talk on the sideline during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) drives by Denver Nuggets center Kosta Koufos (41) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

Denver Nuggets’ Jordan Hamilton, front left, and Kenneth Faried, right, collide in midair while reaching for a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) drives past Denver Nuggets center Kosta Koufos (41) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) attempts a basket after being fouled by Denver Nuggets shooting guard Arron Afflalo during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

Denver Nuggets guard Jordan Hamilton, from right, holds onto the ball after colliding with San Antonio Spurs small forward Richard Jefferson during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) leaves the game for a quick break during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. The Spurs won 114-99. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

Denver Nuggets small forward Corey Brewer (13) scores past San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. The Spurs won 114-99. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair, top, blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets small forward Corey Brewer, bottom, but fouled him in the process during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. The Spurs won 114-99. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) looks to pass with Denver Nuggets small forward Corey Brewer (13) defending during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 in Denver. The Spurs won 114-99. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) tries to drive past Denver Nuggets power forward Al Harrington (7) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Denver. The Spurs won 114-99. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) (AP)