.png&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "By the numbers: A quick look at the Grizzlies")
Stats of the Game: Spurs vs. Warriors
With 4:49 left in the second quarter Tim Duncan writhed in pain clutching his left knee that had the entire Spurs bench stunned and shaken. I'm also sure Spurs fans were holding their breath as well.
But he returned to finish with 16 points and seven rebounds, helping the San Antonio Spurs (38-7) to beat the Golden State Warriors 113-102 and calm any nerves about what initially appeared to be a serious injury.
Here are some numbers on this Spurs' latest win.
95 - The Warriors shot very well from the free throw line making 19-20 (95%) foul shots. The Spurs on the other hand, made just 26-34 (76.5%) of their free throw attempts.
46 - San Antonio dominated the boards, outrebounding the Warriors 46-36. The Spurs' reserves outscored the Warriors' bench 46-14.
38 - The Warriors edged the Spurs on inside points 40-38. The Spurs 38th victory clinched the Western Conference's best record through February 6, which means Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich will coach the West squad in the All-Star game on February 20 at Los Angeles.
33.3 - Both teams shot a similar 5-15 (33.3%) from behind the arc.
31 - David Lee had a monster game, leading the Warriors with 31 points and 12 rebounds.
27 - The Spurs played well in transition outscoring the Warriors 27-19 on fast break points.
25 - Monta Ellis chipped in 25 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Warriors.
20 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 20 points, seven assist and one steal.
18 - Tony Parker added 18 points, 11 dimes and three boards for San Antonio while Dorell Wright had 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds for Golden State.
14 - Stephen Curry had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors. Antonio McDyess gave the Spurs' bench a huge lift with 14 points, 10 boards and one assists in 25 minutes and George Hill likewise scored 14 points off the Spurs' bench.
9 - Both teams had only nine turnovers each for the entire game. Richard Jefferson had only nine points for San Antonio, but he scored six of them in the final period when he went 3-3 from the field.
1 - The Spurs had only one block for the entire game courtesy of Tim Duncan, the Warriors had five block shots.
0 - Hill and Andris Biedrins did not commit a single turnover for their respective teams despite playing heavy minutes.
Rookie Watch: Gary Neal scored 11 points and had three rebounds in 24 minutes. Tiago Splitter had seven points and six rebounds in 21 minutes of action. James Anderson has yet to return to action since recovering from a stress fracture injury.
Notes: Matt Bonner missed his fifth consecutive game with a sore right knee, there is no structural damage but the team is concerned because it hasn't improved.
What's Next? The Spurs will visit the Utah Jazz at the EnergySolutions Arena on Wednesday.
Follow me on Twitter @RobbyLim21
David Lee really played very well, Monta Ellis too I'm glad the Spurs won this game! Go Spurs Go!
Thanks for all the comments guys! I agree to most of you McDyess and Tiago will play key roles in the offseason. McDyess is actually our best interior defender up to this point so developing Tiago is a must. The next few games will be really interesting to watch as the Spurs plays a lot of games on the road. @LFJeremy yeah you are right we don't see that kind of point differential from the bench a lot so it's nice to point out.
Keep the comments coming everyone! Go Spurs Go!
@Titletown99030507 I agree with you this time, Tiago played well in the amount of time he played he looks in control and knows what to do on the court, but he still commits to many fouls because of his aggressiveness. I think he'll figure it out over time. McDyess turned back the clock last night! It's great to see him so energetic on the floor. We need these two guys to step up. Blair has played very well in many games but there are games he too would be in foul trouble because of his lack of height.
Hope they start resting Timmy and McDyess in 4th if we have a big lead and let Blair and Splitter use up the rest of the min as well as Bonner when he gets back. If they give Splitter that kind of playing time (around 25 min) we could very well see Splitter getting 10 points 6-8 rebounds on regular basis. Add a rested Timmy and Dyess to the mix as well as RJ and Anderson sharing time and then we could start seeing the Spurs full potential.
McDyess and Splitters time on the court with Timmy benefited Timmy in the sense that the load of banging with the opposing big and helping out in the paint was somewhat shared. It allowed him to use his energies to attack the rim. Resting McDyess and limiting his min. has benefited him. They keep doing this and he'll be a force in the playoffs more than last season. And as for Splitter if they keep giving him more time with Timmy in bigger chunks of playing time like last night that also could develop into something special. He's been able to get to the free throw line and if he starts raising his free throw % and finishing at the rim with a slam than its just a matter of time he's gives this team the contribution they have been waiting for. He's already a decent defender all the team needs to do is feed him the ball when he cuts to the rim when no one is open. If he and the team get in such a rhythm it could spell worse for the opponent.
Good to see Tiago and McDyess play well and knowing that Tim Duncan was ok is a great relief. Go Spurs Go!
