The Chicago Bulls may be sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 53-19 but according to Ronnie Brewer they want the best record in the NBA and are gunning for the San Antonio Spurs:

"We're trying to win as many games as we possibly can because we know it's a tough race in the East," Brewer said after Monday morning's shootaround. "We're not just striving to be the first in our conference. We're trying to go out there and get the Spurs and have the best overall record in the league." (espn.com)

Currently, San Antonio holds the league's best record at 57-16 and are on a three-game losing streak. Without two of their All-Stars -- Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan -- who are nursing injuries, the Spurs might drop a few more games with nine games left in the regular season.

The Bulls are on a four-game winning streak and trail the Spurs by 3 1/2 games.

The Spurs will look to snap their losing streak tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers in San Antonio without the services of Ginobili and Duncan and maintain their hold on the NBA's best record.

San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili will not be in action tonight as the Spurs host the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ginobili suffered a thigh contusion in last night's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

This will make avenging Portland's recent win over the Spurs in Portland with Tim Duncan still out of action due to an ankle injury.

As if dealing with injuries to two All-Stars is not enough, Matt Bonner is on a shooting slump.

It's not a secret that his ability to stretch the floor is an important part of the San Antonio Spurs' offense and it could be argued this is one of his better season as a Spur as his shooting accuracy has improved steadily for the most part of the season until this month.

Bonner's outside shooting will be crucial for the Spurs towards the end of the regular season especially with Tim Duncan being sidelined due to a sprained ankle injury. While Bonner's offensive production may not be the gauge of the Spurs' success he has certainly helped the team win some ball games.

Here are some interesting numbers.

The Spurs are:

The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers are streaking. Except the Spurs are on a three-game losing streak while the Lakers are on a seven-game winning streak.

Now the gap between the Spurs and Lakers is down to four games with nine games remaining.

With the Spurs slumping due to injuries to All-Stars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, could the Lakers be looking to seize control of the number one seed heading into the playoffs?

No they aren't according to Lakers head coach Phil Jackson:

"All things are possible in this game in that kind of situation," Jackson said. "Until you're mathematically eliminated, you just keep playing."

While the Lakers have talked about wanting to nail down the second spot in the Western Conference, and overall, to assure home court in as many playoff series as possible, Jackson has not sensed his players taking aim on or talking about the Spurs.

"I'm not aware of it," he said.

With Duncan still out nursing an ankle injury and Ginobili doubtful after suffering a thigh contusion in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, every game is important not only to maintain the number one seed, but to get some positive momentum heading into the NBA playoffs.

The San Antonio Spurs (57-16) may have lost the game last night to the Memphis Grizzlies, 111-104, but the bigger concern is the health of the team.

Already shelved due to injury is Tim Duncan, now add Manu Ginobili to the list.

Ginobili suffered a left quadriceps contusion in last night's loss to Memphis and though is not serious, Ginobili cannot put his full weight on his leg and is in considerable pain. His status for tonight's game against Portland is in question.

That's two All-Stars for the Spurs dealing with injuries. Add the fact the Spurs' grip on the number one seed is now at four games with the Los Angeles Lakers currently on a seven game winning streak.

The playoffs are right around the corner, and this is the last thing the Spurs needed to deal with.

What do you think Spurs fans?

• Desertnews.com released their NBA rankings Sunday morning, they ranked the Los Angeles Lakers higher than the Spurs due to the Spurs injury woes:

2. Spurs: Not the same team without Tim Duncan, which was obvious in last two losses.

• The Detroit News discusses the Spurs "swoon"; in particular, because of the Duncan injury:

It will be interesting to see if the Spurs can hang onto the best record in the NBA with Tim Duncan (left ankle) out.

Sure, he isn't the Duncan of old, but he's still a pretty good defender, rebounder and has a solid court presence.

• If you own a 3D television, you may be able to watch the NBA Finals in 3D; reports The Denver Post:

Two Nuggets games, most recently Wednesday's win against the Spurs, have been in 3-D, and ESPN 3-D will air the NBA Finals in June.

• Greg Jaklewicz writes a fascinating article about Spurs play-by-play announcer Bill Schoening:

They talked once, when Bill was maybe 17 and Springsteen in his mid-20s. Kid, the Boss asked him, what do you want to do in life?

Broadcast sports, Bill told him.

Well, do it, Springsteen advised. Whatever dues you have to pay, pay up. It's not about the money but doing something you love.

• Boston's number one Celtics blog RedsArmy.com, keeps an eye on the Spurs and other contenders.

Austin Toros (San Antonio Spurs' D-League affiliate) center Marcus Cousin recently spent some time with the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

He was brought into Utah on a 10-day contract but was not offered another 10-day contract and returned to Austin to play with the Toros.

I had the opportunity to speak with Cousin on Saturday afternoon after the Toros lost to the Idaho Stampede.

When I asked Cousin how his 10-days in Utah were, he chuckled about only being there for 10 days. Cousin then told me that he learned a lot from the coaching staff and Jazz players. He used the words “good experience” in describing his short stint.

When I asked him how it was to battle the likes of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, he said it was great to learn from them. He also said he learned a lot from Jefferson in particular.

Cousin continues to produce in the D-League as he scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss Saturday.

Cousin has two aspirations to look forward to these next two weeks: 1) Get signed to an NBA team for the remainder of the season and 2) continue to help the Toros team earn a spot in the D-League playoffs and contend for Austin’s first D-League championship.

Optimism is still an option for Cousin.

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SAN ANTONIO SPURS (57-15) vs. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (40-33)

The San Antonio Spurs seemed to be missing Tim Duncan's leadership on the floor. They were defeated in two close games without their team captain by losing composure down the stretch. 

The Spurs will try to avoid a season-high third straight loss tonight when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies in a potential first-round playoff preview.

San Antonio (57-15) still has a four game lead over the Chicago Bulls for the best record in the league, but they have to be concerned after wasting leads in the final quarter, losing back-to-back games for the second time this season.

The Spurs led 96-90 with 1:21 left the fourth period against the Portland Trail Blazers last Friday but lost 98-96, committing three of their 19 turnovers in the final 40 seconds.

Manu Ginobili had 21 points and seven assists but also had five turnovers in that game. Tony Parker had eight miscues. Tiago Splitter started in Duncan's place against Portland and had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (40-33) had their three-game winning streak snapped by a 99-96 loss at Chicago last Friday. Mike Conley missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

Memphis had held its previous three opponents to an average of 83.3 points.

Rudy Gay has undergone a season-ending surgery to repair his partially dislocated left shoulder. The Grizzlies are 9-7 without him.

The Grizzlies will play six of their next seven games at home and have a 1 and a half game lead over ninth-place Houston Rockets.

The last time the Spurs lost consecutive games was on January 4-5, but responded by winning their next eight. They haven't dropped three games in a row since January 20-25, 2010.

Hit the jump for the keys of the game and find out which team will win this matchup.

• Express News' Tim Griffin shares his notes from the San Antonio Spurs loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last night:

There are low points. And then, there are games like the Spurs lost on Friday night against old nemesis Portland. The Spurs saw a late 10-point lead melt away in a 98-96 defeat to the Trail Blazers that continues their recent misery at the Rose Garden. They have lost six straight games there.

• With the Spurs dealing with an injury to Tim Duncan, former Spurs player, now head coach of the New Jersey Nets, Avery Johnson is dealing with the loss of Quinton Ross and recalls how an injury could lead to a good player like Tim Duncan:

“It’s something you got to deal with,’’ Johnson said. “This is the most injured team I have both as a player and a coach. It’s the second time I’ve been in this situation. The last time I was here good things happened. Tim Duncan was waiting in the wings (to be drafted by the San Antonio Spurs). It may not be a Tim Duncan this year waiting in the wings, in terms of the draft, but something good could be on the other side for us. That’s what I keep my mind on.’’ (nj.com)

• The Elm talked about why Duncan stayed in a small market like San Antonio for his career:

There is a reason that Tim Duncan continues to play for the San Antonio Spurs. There is a reason that Dirk Nowitski continues to play for the Dallas Mavericks. There is a reason that Kevin Durant continues to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder. These franchises (which are in relatively small cities compared to New York and Los Angeles) have made a commitment to ensuring that their stars are surrounded by a quality role players that can help the team reach of championship-contending status.

• The Austin Toros lost today to the Idaho Stampede. Check out the recap at Toros Nation.

• Here is how you can enter for a chance to score some free tickets to the upcoming Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers game on March 28 at the AT&T Center:

1. Follow @TiqFeed_Texas on Twitter.

2. Once you've followed, send out a tweet that says "Follow @TiqFeed_Texas" and include your favorite live Texas sports moment, followed by the hashtag #LoneStarTiqs for chance to win free Spurs tickets.

3. One person who tweets that out will win a free pair of tickets to the March 28 Spurs-Trail Blazers game.