Tag: Raymond Felton

Game rewind: TP’s fourth-quarter spurt ices victory

Game analysis: The Spurs’ bench came through with a pivotal performance to bail them out after early struggles. And after struggling to contain the athletic Trail Blazers in the first quarter, the Spurs limited Portland to 33.9 percent shooting during the rest of the game.

Where the game was won: After Nicolas Batum gave Portland a 67-65 lead 10 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Spurs hit Portland for 14 straight points and an 18-2 spurt that put the game away. The run was keyed by Kawhi Leonard who provided a 3-pointer and had a steal and a layup that was set up by DeJuan Blair’s rebound and long outlet pass.  By the time the run ended, the Spurs had an 83-69 lead that dropped below digits only once during the rest of the game. 

And don’t forget about this, either: Raymond Felton pulled Portland within 85-76 with 4:51 left on a jumper after earlier hitting a 3-pointer  on the previous possession. From there, Parker scored San Antonio’s next 10 points to ice the victory.

Player of the game I: Parker finished with 20 points and nine assists, mainly because of a strong fourth quarter where he scored 12 points in barely five minutes of game action.  

Player of the game II:  Tiago Splitter had one of his best career games, scoring 14 points on 5-for-5 field goal shooting, four rebounds and two assists and two blocked shots. His strong effort typified the lift the Spurs’ bench provided to the victory.

Player of the game III: The Spurs had no early answer for LaMarcus Aldridge, who started quickly with 14 points in the first quarter. The Spurs were aided as the game progressed by better defense and Aldridge’s foul trouble, which limited him to 29 points and seven rebounds. It could have been much worse.

Most unsung: Danny Green’s strong night was of the Spurs’ strong bench play. Green scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds but more impressive was his plus-29 plus/minus score which was the best of the season for a Spurs player.

Did you notice: The Spurs committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter as Portland turned the mistakes into 15 fast break points on 7-for-7 shooting . The Spurs did a better job protecting the basketball during the rest of the game and Portland couldn’t get its running game going nearly as effectively.

Did you notice II: Spurs rookie forward Malcolm Thomas got his first NBA action during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound in two minutes of game action.

Stat of the game: The Spurs’ bench outscored their Portland counterparts, 45-17. The edge was 27-2 in the first half.

Stat of the game II: Parker produced 20 points and nine assists. Before Manu Ginobili’s injury, Parker was averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. In the games since Ginobili was placed on the injured list, Parker is averaging 17.9 points and 8.0 assists. And in his last three games, he’s averaging 23.3 points per game with three  consecutive 20-point games for the first time since the final three games of the playoffs against Memphis last season.

Stat of the game III: With Marcus Camby out and Aldridge battling foul trouble, the Spurs were able to outrebound Portland, 50-36. The 14-board difference was only the third time since 1986 that the Spurs have outrebounded Portland by 14 rebounds or more. It was San Antonio’s largest rebounding margin against the Trail Blazers since they had a 27-rebound margin in a 106-75 blowout on Jan. 4, 2006.

Weird stat of the game: Maybe it was a weird Friday the 13th mojo at work. Or maybe Camby might be developing triskaidekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13. Camby played 13 minutes, 13 seconds before his ankle injury Friday that idled him for the rest of the game.

Quote of the game: “We made easy buckets and we had great defense. If we play like this every night, it’s going to be tough to beat the Spurs,” Splitter, on the lift provided by the Spurs’ bench.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs will have one more game during their brief homestand, Phoenix on Sunday night before a back-to-back road trip with games at Miami on Tuesday and Orlando on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers began a six-game road trip that will continue with a back-to-back Saturday in Houston and upcoming games Monday at New Orleans and Wednesday at Atlanta. 

Injuries: Ginobili missed his seventh game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal.  Ford missed his second game with a torn left hamstring sustained Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Portland center Greg Oden remains out with a left knee injury. And Camby was idled late in the second quarter with a left ankle sprain and did not  return after failing to score and grabbing three rebounds.

Mike Monroe: Sometimes less is more in terms of star power

When they arrived in Denver late Tuesday afternoon, the Spurs brought with them fans’ fears that a magical season is about to go poof.

The Spurs know they won’t disappear from their spot atop the Western Conference standings if they remember they got there as a committed and cohesive unit and not because Tim Duncan dragged them to the pinnacle.

If they need a reminder that having a healthy superstar is no guarantee of victory, they can check the Nuggets’ starting lineup tonight.

Denver traded its All-Star starter, Carmelo Anthony, to the Knicks and has made a run up the West standings without the player who had been its leading scorer.

Wilson Chandler, one of four Knicks surrendered in the trade war for Anthony, now occupies ’Melo’s starting spot at small forward. No threat to score 40 or 50 points — his career high is 31 — Chandler has averaged 14.3 points in 13 games as a Nugget, a little more than half what Anthony scored for Denver this season.

It is the Nuggets, not the Knicks, who have found redemption in the biggest trade of the season. Playing fine team basketball, they are 10-4 since the deal was made and playing the sort of unselfish ball that reduces the stress on their cancer survivor coach.

“I don’t think there’s any question there was a lifting of the stress when the trade went down,” George Karl said after putting his new lineup through a Tuesday morning practice. “There was a lot of excitement that came with that deal. Arron (Afflalo) and Ty (Lawson) were starting to play their best basketball then, and Kenyon (Martin) was getting stronger and more confident at that time.

“Then we got the new guys, and it only took us one practice to know they were pretty good.”

Denver’s first game after that first practice was an 89-75 victory over the East-leading Celtics that served as instant rebuttal of the notion the Nuggets had ceded a spot among the Western Conference elite by trading an elite-level player.

General manager Masai Ujiri didn’t help perception when he said the Nuggets had been “killed” in the trade, but such candid humility now seems more smoke screen than admission of failure.

“People need to understand that (Nuggets president) Josh (Kroenke) and Masai squeezed everything they could out of that deal,” Karl said. “We got some good pieces.”

What Karl understood after just one practice was that he had the sort of roster that breeds overachievement.

“There is competition going on for minutes in every game,” he said. “Some of us were debating yesterday about J.R. (Smith), Wilson Chandler, Arron and Danilo Gallinari. Which one will be the best player three years from now? Then you’ve got Ty and Raymond Felton. Who will be the best point guard three years from now?”

“It’s exciting, and you’ve got competition every night motivating everyone to play, and play well.”

Coaching is fun again for Karl, who now spends quality time scribbling Xs and Os, rather than managing rumors and personalities.

“Yes, it is (fun), and I think a lot of it was just a release of the six months of stress and the excitement that we’re still capable of reaching the goals of this season,” he said. “No one knows how good we’re going to be. It’s going to be determined in the playoffs.

“Everyone has said we won’t be any good, but that’s fine. They’ve been saying it’s Doomsdsay around here for a long time.”

Now Doomsday is part of the calendar in New York City. Anthony’s new team is 7-9 since his arrival, and he has discovered that you can’t be the toast of Broadway unless you give New Yorkers reason to pop their corks.

’Melo wanted the bright lights of the big city but hid in the dark of the team bus after a loss last week so that the media couldn’t shine a light on his failures.

mikemonroe@express-news.net