Tag: Portland

Game rewind: Rested TP heads to All-Star Game with a flourish

The extra night of rest clearly benefitted Tony Parker Thursday night in Denver.

After missing Tuesday’s blowout loss in Portland, Parker picked up where he left off earlier in the Rodeo Road Trip.

Parker wasn’t the Spurs’ primary scorer, but he still had a pivotal role in the Spurs’ 114-99 victory at Denver. 

He continued his recent spree of the best basketball of his career, notching 16 points and 12 assists. It marked his fourth straight game with double figures in scoring and assists — a feat he accomplished for the first time in his career.

“That’s the best I’ve ever seen Tony Parker orchestrate a game,” Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters after the game. “He was really great with his decisions and his passing.”

His passing helped DeJuan Blair match his career high with 28 points and Richard Jefferson notch 17 points in one of his three highest scoring games of the year.

Tim Duncan also was back. His return, along with the rest, helped the Spurs to their 12th victory in 13 games.

“It was great to have Tony and Tim back,” Blair told NBA.com after the game. “We fed off of them — or they fed off of me today.”

Here’s how the Spurs jumped on Denver for their best first half of the season and cruised to the victory to cap the Rodeo Road Trip.

The game, simply stated: The Spurs blitzed the injury-riddled Nuggets, pushing their lead to 28 points late in the first half before finishing off a convincing victory to punctuate the longest road trip in Spurs history.

Where the game was won: The Spurs started early as Duncan hit a 15-foot jumper and Jefferson added a 3-pointer to give them a 5-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. 

Blowing it open: After rookie Kenneth Faried pulled Denver within 7-6 on a layup, the Spurs erupted on a 19-1 run that included back-to-back three-point plays by Danny Green and a layup by Blair that gave them a 26-7 lead with 2:18 left in the first quarter.    

Player of the game I: Blair produced a career-high tying 28 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in his biggest offensive performance of the season.

Player of the game II: Gregg Popovich tried to give Duncan the fourth quarter off, although a late Denver rally ended those hopes. Duncan returned  to play 5:19 in the fourth quarter and finished with a strong all-around game with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.

Player of the game III: Denver forward Corey Brewer  was shut out in the first half and was briefly taken to the locker room for treatment of an ankle injury. The rest apparently helped him as he returned to score all of his team-high 23 points in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

Most unsung: Jefferson had a strong night with 17 points and a season-high eight rebounds. He was a perimeter threat throughout the game, hitting five 3-pointers with one in at least every quarter.

Attendance: The Nuggets trotted out their old ABA uniforms and 18,875 turned out to watch them their old ABA rivals at the Pepsi Center. It was their sixth-largest crowd of the season and just below the building’s capacity of 19,155. It was also the Nuggets’ largest weeknight crowd since opening day.

Did you notice I: The best sign of the Spurs’ balance was apparent when every starter was in double  figures in scoring with 7 minutes left in the third quarter.

Did you notice II:  After struggling in the paint against Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers in their last two games, the Spurs made a concerted effort to go inside from the beginning of Thursday’s game against the Nuggets. San Antonio notched a 14-4 edge in the paint in the first quarter and a 12-4 edge in the second quarter en route to a 26-8 edge in paint points in the first half.

Did you notice III: In the final minutes of the game, Duncan briefly was on the court with rookie guard Cory Joseph and rookie center Eric Dawson. We likely won’t see that playing combination together very often.

Stat of the game I:  The Spurs finished off the Rodeo Road Trip 8-1, matching the team’s best RRT record in 2003.  It also tied the NBA’s best won-loss percentage on any road trip of at least eight games in league history.

Stat of the game II: Thursday’s win capped a recent surge where the Spurs have won 12 of 13 games and move ahead of Dallas by three games in the Southwest Division.

Stat of the game III:  San Antonio produced 31 points in the first quarter, marking their second big start against the Nuggets this season after scoring a season-best 37 points against them in San Antonio on Jan. 7. The Spurs also tied their season best with 34 points in the second quarter en route to a season-best 65 points in the first half.

Stat of the game IV: The Spurs’ 65-39 halftime lead (26 points) was tied for the biggest halftime lead of the season. They had a 26-point halftime lead against Dallas (55-29) on Jan. 5.

Stat of the game V: A key for the Spurs during the Rodeo Road Trip has been their quick offensive starts. The Spurs hit 52 percent from the field in the first quarter and 54.5 percent in the second quarter. They accomplished at least 50 percent shooting in both quarters four times during the nine-game swing.

Weird stat of the game I: During a stretch of 17:37 including the final 7:26 of the Nuggets’ loss to the Clippers Wednesday night and the first 10:11 against the Spurs, Denver hit 2 of 28 shots from the field (7.1 percent)

Weird stat of the game II: The Nuggets are 9-8 at home this season after losing eight games there during the entire season there last year.

Weird stat of the game III: For the third time in his career, Blair matched his career high with 21 field goal attempts. In those three  games, Blair has averaged 27.6 points per game.

Weird stat of the game IV: The Spurs matched their largest lead of the season at 28 points at two junctures of the second quarter. Their other 28-point lead came Jan. 5 against Dallas.

Weird stat  of the game V: The Spurs never trailed in the game, marking the fifth time this season they led wire-to-wire. The most recent game where they never trailed was Feb. 15 at Toronto.

Not a good sign: After dominating the game in the first half, the Spurs struggled in their transition game and in stopping Denver’s transition game in the second half. The Nuggets outscored the Spurs in fast-break points in the second half, 16-4.

Best plus/minus scores: Green was plus-20, Duncan was plus-18 and Parker was plus-12.

Worst plus/minus scores: Joseph was minus-2 and James Anderson was minus-1. They were the only San Antonio players with minus scores.

Quote of the game:  ”Considering what they had to go through, not just with injuries but the schedule they just had, having to play tonight, it wasn’t a fair fight,” Popovich, to reporters on playing the injury-depleted and road-weary Nuggets.

How the schedule stacks up: After the All-Star break, the Spurs start a seven-game homestand with games Wednesday against Chicago, March 2 against Charlotte and March 4 against Denver. The Nuggets return to host Portland on Wednesday before traveling to Houston on March 2 and the Spurs on March 4.

Injuries: Manu Ginobili (strained left oblique muscle) and Tiago Splittler (strained right calf) missed their third games (Spurs 2-1) since they were injured Saturday at the Clippers. T.J. Ford missed his 24th game (Spurs record 18-6) with a torn left hamstring. Kawhi Leonard experienced tightness in both calves after playing 2:05 in the first quarter and did not return. He is still expected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday night in Orlando. Denver played without G Rudy Fernandez (lower back strain), F-C Danilo Gallinari (sprained left ankle), F-C Nene (left calf strain) and G Ty Lawson (left ankle sprain).

Pop sees bright side to rout

By Mike Monroe

DENVER — After their 137-97 loss to the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, most of the Spurs decided the less said about the game, the better.

“They made about 18 3-pointers in the first quarter,” guard Danny Green said. “That just about sums it up.”

In fact, the Blazers made 8 of 10 on 3-point shots in the first period and 15 of 28 for the game, but Green’s point was taken.

With coach Gregg Popovich sitting his top scorer and assist man, Tony Parker, and his top rebounder and No. 2 scorer, Tim Duncan, there was only one thing Popovich cared about Tuesday.

“The only expectation I have is to play hard,” he said after the most lopsided loss for a Spurs team since March 5, 1997, when the Chicago Bulls scored a 111-69 victory.

And his assessment of the effort given by the nine players who saw action?

“They busted their butts,” he said.

Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard logged a season-high 43 minutes and scored a season-high 24 points, and Popovich was grateful for the experience he was able to give the player the Spurs traded George Hill to acquire on draft night.

Leonard’s ability to learn on the fly after a short training camp and a compressed scheduled that has minimized practice time has been one of the surprises of the season, according to Popovich.

“Absolutely, without a doubt, the young guys picked things up more quickly (than expected),” Popovich said. “Kawhi still has a long way to go as far as understanding what’s going on, but his willingness to learn, his effort level and his ability to focus have been impressive. Same with Danny Green.”

Dawson’s debut: Eric Dawson, the 27-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward had waited a long time to make his NBA debut.

When it finally came, he logged nearly 32 minutes and produced respectable numbers. The former Sam Houston High School star scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. He missed four of his first five shots but made all three he took in the fourth period.

Rested and ready: Popovich opted to keep the Spurs in Portland after Tuesday’s game, traveling to Denver at midday after a good night’s rest.

The Nuggets played the Clippers on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, chartering back to Denver after a game that tipped off at 8 p.m. Mountain time.

Rodeo trip rank: Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, the Spurs already are assured the second-best rodeo road trip since the annual trek began when the club moved into a new arena for the 2002-03 season. A victory tonight would match the inaugural rodeo trip in 2003 at 8-1.

The Spurs never have had a losing rodeo trip. The worst trip was 4-4 in 2007.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Game analysis: What a difference a fast start makes for Portland

It might have been the most stunning one-game transformation in recent NBA history.

After scoring seven points in the first quarter Monday night, Portland turned things around in a big way Tuesday night against the Spurs.

And then some.

The hot-shooting Trail Blazers erupted for 41 points, eight 3-pointers and 22 consecutive points in the first quarter of their 137-97 beatdown of the Spurs Tuesday night. It was an NBA season high for points in the first quarter.

It came only a night after the Trail Blazers managed only seven points in their worst offensive quarter of the season in a 103-92 loss. In that game, Portland fell into a 29-7 hole after the first quarter and never were able to challenge the Lakers Monday night.

“We needed to get back on track, we needed to bounce back from that loss that we had and we did it tonight,” Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge told the Associated Press.

Portland’s victory did come against what could charitably be called the Spurs’ junior varsity team as Tony Parker and Tim Duncan both sat out the game as a coach’s decision. The Spurs were also playing without injured starter Manu Ginobili and key injured role players Tiago Splitter and T.J. Ford.

The results were predictable, considering the Spurs were playing without five key players from their normal rotation. It helped endure the Spurs’ worst loss since Gregg Popovich’s first season — a season before Duncan was drafted.

“I thought Portland played great,” Popovich said. “They were aggressive and they started on fire. They jumped on us right off the bat and kept their intensity and focus the whole game. They did a great job.”

It snapped the Spurs’ 11-game winning streak with one game left on the Rodeo Road Trip.

As the game got out of hand, Popovich made the wise decision to give his youngest players the most playing time in the one-sided game. It was a valuable learning lesson, even if it cost them a loss.

The margin of victory probably deserved an asterisk, considering who the Spurs played  for most of the game.

Here’s how it happened.

The game, simply stated: No Parker. No Duncan. No Ginobili. No Splitter. No Ford. Portland jumped on the Spurs from the beginning of the game and never let up in a one-sided end to the Spurs’ recent Rodeo Road Trip success.

Where the game was won: After Richard Jefferson hit a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 20-19 lead, Portland blew the game open with a run of 22 straight points as the Spurs missed eight straight shots and committed a turnover during a run that ended only after James Anderson’s 3-pointer to end the first quarter.

Blowing it open: Gary Neal pulled the Spurs within 59-43 on a three-point play with 1:42 left, but Portland scored the last seven points of the half on a spurt capped by a 3-pointer from Jamal Crawford that gave them a 66-43 halftime lead. The Spurs would come no closer, trailing by margins of up to 48 points late in the game. Only an 11-3 run to finish the game kept it from being the Spurs’ worst loss under Popovich.

Player of the game I: Crawford, who was inserted into the starting lineup to boost Portland’s perimeter shooting, did it in a big way Tuesday night. He hit all five 3-pointers in the first half, en route to 18 of his 2o points. He also added eight assists and four rebounds in a strong all-around game.

Player of the game II: Spur killer Aldridge played with his traditional vengeance against the Silver and Black, notching 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. It marked his second straight game with at least 20 points against the Spurs and seventh in his last 11 games against them.

Player of the game III: Versatile forward Gerald Wallace filled the box score with 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. He was also a versatile defender who shuffled between small and power forward and was a matchup nightmare for the Spurs throughout the game. 

Most unsung: Sure, most of it came in garbage time, but rookie Portland guard Elliot Williams went for a season-best 17 points in 17 minutes. In his last seven games, he had scored a combined 16 points.

Attendance: If any city is immune to the woes of the post-lockout glut of games,  it’s Portland. Tuesday’s game attracted a sellout crowd of 20,567 to the Rose Garden. The Trail Blazers have sold out 177 straight games (regular season and playoffs) dating back to Dec. 21, 2007. The Trail Blazers led the Western Conference in average attendance last season (20,510) and ranked second in the league behind only Chicago.

Did you notice I:  When the game got out of hand early, Popovich wisely decided to quickly bench Matt Bonner (5:52 played), Jefferson (18:43), Neal (18:03) and DeJuan Blair (20:40). It provided a learning laboratory for most of the second half for Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Cory Joseph, Anderson and Eric Dawson in a rotation most of Spurs Nation probably hope they won’t be seeing much more.

Did you notice II:  Maybe Popovich was fulfilling his earlier comments where he said he employed the defense only as punishment. Or maybe he was trying to teach his team something. But the Spurs were in a zone defense less than five minutes into the game.

Did you notice III: He hadn’t played much a point guard before this season. But it’s becoming clear that Neal is evolving in his second NBA season. He’s not just a spot-up jump shooter as before. And while his playing time at point guard often is rocky, he’ll be able to play the position in a pinch when the Spurs need him. 

Stat of the game I:  The Spurs’ 11-game winning streak, best in the NBA this season, was snapped. It had been their longest since winning 12 straight from Nov. 1 through Nov. 24, 2010.

Stat of the game II: The Spurs allowed 137 points. It’s the most they have permitted since a 161-153 victory over Denver on Nov. 7, 1990. That game was the second game of the second season for David Robinson and Sean Elliott.

Stat of the game III: San Antonio’s 48-point deficit late in the game was by far the largest the Spurs have faced this season. Their previous biggest margin was 28 points against Miami on Jan. 17.  

Stat of the game IV: Leonard has his  biggest game with the team, notching season-high totals of 24 points, 43 minutes and five steals. He grabbed 10 rebounds as he produced his third double-double of the season. His five steals were the most by a Spur since Ginobili notched five at Boston on Jan. 5, 2011.

Stat of the game V:  The Trail Blazers obliterated their season record book as they notched season bests from the field (.593) and 3-point range (.536) and matched their season high with 15 3-pointers. Portland also had season highs for most points in a quarter (41, first) a half (66, first half), through three quarters (103) and for a game.

Weird stat of the game I: The 22-point streak of points allowed by the Spurs late in the first quarter is the most consecutive points they have allowed this season.

Weird stat of the game II: The Spurs allowed Portland to shoot at least 50 percent from the field in each quarter — 68.4 percent in the first quarter, 50 percent in the second quarter, 60 percent in the third quarter and 58.3 percent in the fourth quarter. The only other time that has happened this season came in the victory at New Orleans on Jan. 23.

Weird stat of the game III: The Blazers had six players who scored 16 points or more in Tuesday’s game. The last time they accomplished that feat was Dec. 20, 1992 against Golden State.

Weird stat of the game IV: Portland has won seven times by at least 20 points. No other team in the Western Conference has more than three 20-point wins.

Not a good sign: The Spurs again were manhandled inside as the Blazers dominated them for a 52-36 edge in points in the paint. Coupled with the game against Utah Monday night, the Spurs have been outscored in the paint 108-66 in the last two games. The Jazz and Blazers have produced two of the top three efforts in paint points against the Spurs this season.

Best plus/minus scores: Jefferson was minus-15 and Blair and Bonner were minus-19, .

Worst plus/minus scores: Anderson was a team season-worst minus-34, Dawson was minus-25 and Neal was minus-24.   

Quote of the game: “It’s a win going into the all-star break coming off a game where we felt like we just played bad, horrible last night, so the thing we take from this is we got us a win. We go into the break with a win and a little confidence,” Wallace to Trailblazers.com about the turnaround from Monday’s loss to the Lakers.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs will finish the Rodeo Road Trip Thursday night in Denver before the All-Star break. The Trail Blazers don’t return to action until Feb. 29 when they visit Denver.

Injuries: Ginobili (strained left oblique muscle) and Splittler (strained right calf) missed their second games since they were injured Saturday at the Clippers. Ford missed his 23rd game (Spurs record 17-6) with a torn left hamstring. Portland guard Wesley Matthews left early in the fourth quarter with a mild left ankle sprain.