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Spurs close out, close in on West’s top spot

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Spurs 87, Celtics 86: April 4, 2012

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) makes a move against Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. The Spurs won 87-86. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) dishes the ball against Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (20), forward Kevin Garnett (5) and forward Paul Pierce (34) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. The Spurs won 87-86. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) falls back as he is called for a foul against San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. The Spurs won 87-86. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Daniel Green (4) drives against Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) and center Greg Stiemsma, far left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari, left, chats with former Massachusetts treasurer Joe Malone prior to an NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, left, loses control of the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (20) looks to make a move with the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Daniel Green (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) dunks against San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) leans into a shot against San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) as guard Tony Parker (9) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) defends against a shot attempt by Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) in the last seconds of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 4, 2012. The Spurs won 87-86. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (AP)

By Mike Monroe

BOSTON — The Spurs had been the most efficient offensive team in basketball.

They averaged an NBA-best 107 points per game in the month of March and, for good measure, piled up a season-high 125 points Tuesday in Cleveland to begin April.

Their coach calls the scoring explosion a necessary adjustment for a team he rates no better than above-average on defense. It also had made them the league’s hottest team of late with eight straight wins.

When the offensive magic disappeared in the second half at TD Garden against the Celtics, winners of five in a row before Wednesday’s showdown, it took some old-fashioned defensive magic to secure a ninth consecutive win — an 87-86 victory in the Spurs’ lowest scoring game in more than three months.

But a win is a win. This one, coupled with the Thunder’s close loss in Miami on Wednesday, puts the Spurs only one game out of first place in the Western Conference.

Who better to demonstrate the Spurs’ old way than Tim Duncan, whose challenge of an 18-foot jumper by Boston’s Paul Pierce forced an awkward miss that helped the Spurs ? hold on?

Trailing by a point with 7.9 seconds left, the Celtics called a pair of 20-second timeouts to set up a play for Pierce.

With a foul to give before Boston would be in the bonus, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had instructed his players to foul Pierce before he could get off a shot. Told to switch on every screen, Duncan ended up defending Pierce after he took a pass from Rajon Rondo.

“I knew we had a foul to give, but once he turned that corner and got his shoulders squared to the basket, I wasn’t going to do it,” Duncan said. “Once he turned the corner and kind of squared his shoulder, when you reach out to grab somebody these days, they’re programmed to look like they’re shooting. I didn’t want to do it at that point.”

Instead, Duncan stretched his 6-foot-11 frame and made Pierce shoot a high-arching shot that was badly off line.

“I stood in front of him and challenged his shot,” Duncan said. “If you go back and look at the history, at least what I’ve seen, that’s the shot he wants.”

Duncan’s defense preserved a lead the Spurs had attained after two late possessions they extended with hustle plays. Duncan snared an offensive rebound and found Gary Neal for a 3-pointer with a minute left. Manu Ginobili later grabbed the ball after it was knocked away from Duncan and found Matt Bonner for a 16-footer that turned out to be the difference-maker.

The game-winning shot wasn’t close to something the Spurs had planned. A lob pass from Ginobili to Duncan on a pick-and-roll had been batted away by Boston’s Kevin Garnett. It landed right back in the hands of Ginobili, who zipped it straight to Bonner, wide open on the left wing. Bonner’s mid-range shot swished with 46.5 seconds left.

“Just Manu being Manu,” Duncan said. “He scrambled, made a great play, looked for me. They’d been getting hands on the ball all night, and it kind of bounced back to him. I guess just keeping his head up he got the ball back and made a quick pass.”

Bonner had missed his previous four shots in the second half, but he knew it was only a matter of time until one fell.

“The laws of probability,” he said. “I think I missed my previous 93 shots. At least that’s what it felt like in my head. So I knew that one was going in.”

Bonner wasn’t the only Spurs player unable to shoot with typical precision after intermission. The Spurs made only 4 of 20 shots in the third quarter and scored only nine points, a season low for any quarter. Their 28 second-half points were also a season-low.

“We were fortunate at the end,” Popovich said. “Manu got a great offensive rebound. We got a couple extra possessions at the very end, and lots of times, that’s a team’s demise.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Jefferson’s late hoop leads Utah’s rally, paces Thursday’s S&Ds

Al Jefferson wasn’t sure Devin Harris’ shot would be close to the basket.

Harris joked after the game that it actually was a pass.

Fortunately for Utah, Jefferson was in the right place at the right time Thursday night. Jefferson rammed home a rebound basket for the game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds left to lead the Jazz to a 103-102 victory at Sacramento.

“It was just great to get the win, man,” Jefferson told the Salt Lake City Deseret News. “We’ll get it any way we have to.”

The final hoop capped a big night for Jefferson that included 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

“I honestly thought it was a short shot,” Jefferson told the Associated Press. “I was at the basket by myself and that was the only way he could get it to me. It was a perfect pass.”

Utah rallied after squandering a 14-point second-half lead, scoring on four of its last five shots after going almost 9 minutes without a basket.

“The greatest thing about it is that we hung in there. We didn’t hang our heads. We continued to fight,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin told the Deseret News. “What a big finish.”

STUDS

Utah C Al Jefferson: Hit the game-winning basket with 0.9 seconds left, part of a strong effort that included 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in the Jazz’s triumph at Sacramento.

New Orleans’ defense: The Hornets limited the Los Angeles Clippers to 11 points and 17.4 percent shooting in the fourth quarter and forced them to miss their last 19 3-point attempts in their victory over the Clippers.

Boston F Paul Pierce: Went for 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and was plus-10 in the Celtics’ victory at Milwaukee.

Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins: Notched 22 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, two steals and was plus-6 in the Kings’ loss to Utah.

Houston G Goran Dragic: Produced 17 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals and was a game-best plus-27 in the Rockets’ victory over Golden State.

DUDS

Los Angeles Clippers G Randy Foye: Clanked through a miserable 1-for-14 shooting night and was a team-worst minus-7 in the Clippers’ loss at New Orleans.

Houston F Chase Budinger: Missed all seven shots in the Rockets’ victory at Golden State.

Sacramento G Isaiah Thomas: Went 4 for 10 from the field with four turnovers and was a team-worst minus-18 in the Kings’ loss to Utah.

Milwaukee C Drew Gooden: Struggled in a 2-for-12 shooting performance with two turnovers and was minus-4 in the Bucks’ loss to Boston.

Washington G Roger Mason: Missed all five shots with a turnover and was minus-6 in the Wizards’ loss to Indiana.

Game rewind: Manu demands back-to-back action and thrives because of it

Manu Ginobili was ready and determined to play Wednesday night.

Recent reports that Ginobili’s action in back-to-back games would be limited proved to be a little premature as he rehabilitates from a recent hip flexor.

Ginobili told FOX Sports Southwest after the Spurs’ 117-112 victory over Sacramento that he wanted to play against the Kings.

It led Ginobili to tell Spurs coach Gregg Popovich he wanted to test himself in a back-to-back game for the first time this season. Coming off the bench, Ginobili responded with a team-high 20 points.

“I asked him to play this back-to-back because I was starting to feel good and I need to play,” Ginobili said. “I’m starting to feel better and I wanted to be with the guys and play.”

The Spurs still have a tough 17-game schedule looming over the remaining 29 days of the season. Ginobili doesn’t promise to play in all of them. But at least on Wednesday, he wanted to be in the lineup.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to play whenever we play that back-to-back-to-back, because that’s too much and kind of risky and we’re doing pretty well,” Ginobili said. “But I asked today to play because I was ready.”

The Spurs’ deep bench will enable Popovich to bring Ginobili along as he wants.

But after Wednesday night, Ginobili had cleared one remaining hurdle.

Here’s a detailed look at the Spurs’ sixth straight victory of the season — made even more impressive because they have been played over the last eight nights.

The game, simply stated: Even with some defensive ruts along the way, the Spurs employed sizzling shooting down the stretch to complete a wire-to-wire victory that was their fifth victory in six nights.

Where the game was won: After Isaiah Thomas’ 3-pointer pulled the Kings within 93-92 with 7:06 left, the Spurs put the game away with a 10-4 run that included Tony Parker’s driving layup, two baskets from Tim Duncan and hoops from Stephen Jackson and Kawhi Leonard. The rookie’s 7-foot running jumper with 3:48 gave the Spurs a 103-96 advantage with 3:48 left.

A little too close for comfort?: Two foul shots by Jason Thompson pulled the Kings within 103-98 with 3:04 left. But a long jumper by Jackson and a 3-pointer by Parker — both coming on assists from Duncan — iced the victory.

Close but never ahead: Sacramento cut the Spurs lead to one point on seven occasions in the third quarter and nine times in the second half, but never tied the game or went ahead.

Player of the game I: Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points on 8 of 12 from the field, three 3-pointers and five assists.

Player of the game II: Leonard played with a confidence that belied his rookie season. He scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, three 3-pointers, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Player of the game III: Thomas erupted for a career-high 28 points, along with four rebounds and a team-high 10 assists.

Most unsung: This is the first time all season that Tony Parker has earned this mention. He produced only 10 points, more than nine below his season average. But he also provided seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. .

Attendance: The days when Phil Jackson complained about the Arco Arena as the NBA’s noisiest facility are a long time removed. The Kings have some exciting young players and a new arena on the horizon. But they still drew a crowd of just 13,119 for the Spurs — more than 4,000 below the building’s capacity. Sacramento has attracted four sellout crowds this season, but two came for their first two home games of the season.

Did you notice I: Popovich was like a kid with a new toy as he tweaked his rotation. He had already employed 11 players before the end of the first quarter. And nine of them scored.

Did you notice II: The Spurs continued to pound the ball inside as they have throughout the recent winning streak. In the second half, San Antonio had 22 two-point baskets, with 17 hoops coming on points in the paint.

Stat of the game I:The Spurs claimed their sixth straight victory and their 13th road game in their last 15. Before that stretch, the Spurs had lost eight of their first 10 road games of the season.

Stat of the game II: San Antonio’s winning streak is the longest current streak in the league and their 9-1 record in the last 10 games is the best in the league.

Stat of the game III: The San Antonio bench was its most dominant element as the Spurs’ substitutes outscored Sacramento’s non-starters, 55-20.

Stat of the game IV: After struggling the several games, the Spurs’ perimeter game returned with 10 3-pointers in 20 attempts for 50 percent. It was their most 3-pointers since hitting 11 in Dallas on March 17 — a stretch of six games. The Spurs shot at 50 percent for the first time since beating Orlando on March 14 — an eight-game stretch.

Stat of the game V: Parker notched his 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assists. It was his fourth double-double in his last eight games.

Stat of the game VI: The Spurs claimed their seventh straight victory in Sacramento and their 13th triumph in their last 14 games against the Kings.

Stat of the game VII: Dominating inside, the Spurs racked up 60 points in the paint, marking the eighth straight game they have reached at least 50 paint points and 10th in their last 12 games. They have reached 60 points in four games this season, including three times in their last 12 games.

Stat of the game VIII: The Spurs set a season record by hitting 67.5 percent from the field (27 of 40). They also achieved a feat by hitting 65 percent from the field in the third quarter and 70 percent in the fourth. It was the only time this season the Spurs shot at least 60 percent in the third and fourth quarters of the same game.

Weird stat of the night I: The Spurs had only two players with more than 30 minutes — Leonard (33:12) and Parker (31:21).

Weird stat of the night II: Parker matched his season high with seven rebounds and also led the team with seven defensive rebounds. Leonard and Duncan were next with five defensive rebounds apiece.

Weird stat of the night III: The Spurs shot 70 percent in the third quarter and were still outscored by Sacramento, 29-28.

Weird stat of the night IV: Matt Bonner logged 23 seconds of playing time at the end of the first quarter for his only game action. It was his shortest playing stint since logging seven seconds against Phoenix on Feb. 28, 2010.

Weird stat of the night V: The Spurs improved their shooting in each quarter in Wednesday’s game, hitting 40.7 percent in the first quarter, 45.8 percent in the second quarter, 65 percent in the third quarter and 70 percent in the fourth quarter. It’s the second time they have accomplished that feat this season after also doing it against Atlanta on Jan. 25.

Weird stat of the night VI: The Spurs never trailed for their eighth wire-to-wire victory this season.

Not a good sign: The Spurs permitted Sacramento to hit 54.7 percent from the field. It was the highest opponent field-goal percentage since Portland hit 59.3 percent in its blowout victory over the Spurs on Feb. 21. The Spurs allowed opponents to shoot 50 percent or better in five of their first 10 games and eight of their first 18 games. Since then, opponents have reached 50 percent or better in only five of their last 31 games.

Best plus/minus scores: Leonard, Duncan and Parker shared the team lead, all at plus-14. Stephen Jackson was at plus-8.

Worst plus/minus scores: Tiago Splitter was minus-9, Neal was minus-6 and James Anderson was minus-5.

Quote of the game: “They play like a championship team. They play together and they look like they love playing together. That’s a team we need to look up to because they are very solid in every area,” Sacramento rookie guard Isaiah Thomas, to the Associated Press about his respect for the Spurs.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs stayed in Sacramento Wednesday night and won’t play again until Saturday night at home against Indiana. They then will have a back-to-back Tuesday night in Cleveland and Wednesday night in Boston. Sacramento travels to Utah for a Friday game before home games Saturday against New Jersey and Monday against Minnesota.

Injuries: The Spurs had a complete roster with no injuries for the first time since the trade deadline and utilized 13 players. Sacramento was missing G John Salmons (sore right hip). G Marcus Thornton hit his head on the floor during a wild scramble at the end of the third uarter. He was tested for a concussion, but returned to play 7:19 in the fourth quarter.