Lance Thomas of the San Antonio Spurs' D-League affiliate Austin Toros suffered seizures during the game today against the Idaho Stampede.

Project Spurs' Michael De Leon is at the game and has the report:

In what was a very scary moment here at the Cedar Park Center, after running back on offense during the second quarter, Toros forward Lance Thomas had what appeared to be an episode of an epileptic seizure.

We have not found any history of seizures in his basketball history, but we’ll have more information after the game and wish him a speedy recovery.

Stay tuned to Project Spurs and our affiliate Toros Nation for more details.

UPDATE:

Thomas is doing much better and joked about getting back into the game. Keep it here for more details soon.

With 1:21 left in the San Antonio Spurs (57-15), Portland Trail Blazers (42-30) in the fourth quarter, the Spurs held onto a 96-90 lead and seemingly had things under control and the Spurs were on the verge of getting win 58 of the season.

However, a look at the play-by-play of the waning moments of the fourth quarter sums up the game for the San Antonio:

Ginobili 3pt Shot: Made (21 PTS)	01:21 [SAS 96-90]
	01:12 [POR 92-96]	Miller Driving Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS)
Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed	00:49.9
	00:47.9	Wallace Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)
	00:40.9	Batum 3pt Shot: Missed
Parker Turnover : Lost Ball (8 TO) Steal:Miller (4 ST)	00:32.9
	00:30.5 [POR 94-96]	Miller Driving Layup Shot: Made (21 PTS)
Ginobili Turnover : Lost Ball (5 TO) Steal:Matthews (2 ST)	00:07.9
	00:01.9	Matthews Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bonner (1 BLK)
	00:00.9	Batum Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
Bonner Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:00.9
	00:00.9 [POR 95-96]	Batum Free Throw 1 of 2 (18 PTS)
	00:00.9 [POR 96-96]	Batum Free Throw 2 of 2 (19 PTS)
Team Timeout : Short	00:00.9
	00:00.9	Miller Substitution replaced by Camby
Novak Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	00:00.9
	00:00.9	Team Timeout : Regular
	00:00.9	Camby Substitution replaced by Miller
	00:00.9	Wallace Substitution replaced by Roy
	00:00.1 [POR 98-96]	Batum Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Miller (8 AST)

After the game, Spurs' Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker had this to say:

“One of the worst I’ve had in the NBA,” Ginobili said of the defeat. “Three turnovers in 40 seconds – crazy. And bad defense, too. We gave them two layups. Unacceptable.”

“We said that we were going to switch everything, and there was never really a pick,” said Parker, who had 15 points but also committed eight turnovers. “It was just a great play from Portland.”

The Spurs will next play the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night in Memphis.

• With San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan out of action with an ankle injury, a few Spurs chime in on Duncan being out of action:

"Just his presence makes a difference on the floor," McDyess said. "If he's not out there, it seems like you lose confidence a little."

"Tim Duncan's a Hall of Famer, one of the best defensive big men who has played the game," rookie guard Gary Neal said. "And, of course, you can always throw it into him and get a big bucket. So, yeah, we missed him."

"Great teams are supposed to overcome that," Ginobili said. "We should be able to forget about T.D. and just play a better game." (hoopsworld.com)

• Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler says the Mavericks received a wakeup call in their recent loss to the Spurs:

Before a couple of nights ago we were going into a stretch where we had been playing some bad basketball defensively and it went right into the San Antonio game. Sometimes it takes a wakeup call like that so you can say okay we can’t win that way and we have to get back to the things that we saw in training camp and that’s the way that we’re going to win. Even though they hurt sometimes when you take a loss it’s actually better for the team.” (sportsradiointerviews.com)

• Express News' Tim Griffin gives five takes on the recent loss to the Denver Nuggets:

The first game of the Without Tim Duncan Road Trip didn't turn out quite like the Spurs wanted. The Spurs wilted under withering pressure from Denver’s running game as they dropped a 115-112 defeat Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center. The loss was an aberration from most of the season for the Spurs.

• Currently, the New Orleans Hornets are sitting at the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff race but with David West suffering a season-ending ACL injury, the Hornets could possibly fall to the eighth seed and face the Spurs in the first round:

West's injury came as a huge blow for the Hornets, who held the seventh seed in the Western Conference entering Friday's games. They were only one game ahead of No. 8 Memphis and three games ahead of the surging Houston Rockets with 10 games remaining. (wusa9.com)

Hit the jump to read about how you can win free tickets to the Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers game in San Antonio next week, a new episode of "Coach B," a D-League player patterns his game after Ginobili, and more.

We're excited to introduce a new feature at Project Spurs today called the "Writers Sound Off."

Each week, our writers will sound off on one topic of the week with short audio takes. If you are a Spurscast subscriber, you'll also be seeing podcasts with all of our takes together along with your weekly Spurscast.

Our topic this week was "the unsung hero" and we all gave our takes on who has been the unsung hero of the San Antonio Spurs this season. Would great minds think alike and the majority come up with one player/coach/front office member or would our versatile staff pick several different candidates? Listen below and then find out how to join in on the fun.

Michael De Leon, Founder -

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Robby Lim, Lead Writer -

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Arianne Villanueva, Spanish writer/podcaster -

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Jason Rogers, Staff Writer -

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Paul Garcia, Staff Writer -

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Jake Faunce, Staff Writer -

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So those are our takes for the week. Feel free to use our comments section to give your take on if you agree/disagree, who's take was the best.

The other part of this new feature is "readers talk back." If you want to sound off on this week's topic, go to Vocaroo.com, record your audio, and in the email option, send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or you can just record it on your computer with any audio recording app and send the mp3 file to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Your recordings will be featured on Project Spurs next week.

According to wvillustrated.com, the San Antonio Spurs will sign guard/forward Da'Sean Butler:

According to the former Mountaineers’ Twitter account, the news came Friday, but the Spurs have yet to make an official statement. 

WV Illustrated put out a phone call to Spurs Senior Media Services Coordinator Kris Davis, who initially hinted that while he could not make an official statement, there would be news on the matter later Friday.

“I can’t say anything right now,” said Davis. “If you just sit tight, you might hear something later on today. I can’t comment on anything.”

Butler, who was drafted 43rd overall by the Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA Draft, is 6-7, 230 lbs.

I'm sure Spurs fans might be wondering, "Why not a big man?" Especially after Tim Duncan suffering an ankle injury leaving the Spurs' frontcourt thin.

UPDATE:

From wvillustrated.com:

“He signed this morning with the Spurs,” Butler’s agent, Chet Ervin, said Friday

“Throughout the season there has been interest from several teams and as he progressed and got healthier there were more and more teams that expressed interest,” says Ervin. “At the end of the day, we felt – Da’Sean felt – that the Spurs were the best organization, the best fit for him.”

Butler suffered a serious knee injury in his final game in college and was cleared by doctors last week to begin full workouts. That being said, it's highly unlikely he will see action during games for the Spurs as he continues to rehab his knee.

This coming Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs will host the Boston Celtics and the Spurs could be facing a Celtics team with Jermaine O'Neal back from surgery:

Danny Ainge joined The Big Show for his weekly interview and said that Jermaine O'Neal was getting closer to a return and coul[d] be back on the court by next Thursday when the Celtics play the Spurs. 

"The swelling issue that had prevented him from [playing] early in the year is not happening right now," Ainge said. "Since the surgery, it's been a lot better."

Ainge said that the plan was for O'Neal to join the C's in Indiana when they play the Pacers on Monday and then travel with them to San Antonio. (weei.com)

O'Neal is coming off surgery to repair a knee injury. However, if O'Neal does play against the Spurs, he won't get much time on the court. Probably around 15 minutes max.

Our good friend John Karalis of RedsArmy.com had this to say about O'Neal possibly playing against San Antonio and if this is an advantage for the Celtics against the Spurs who will be without the injured Tim Duncan:

"Well, it does whenever Jermaine is on the floor just because he still has the ability to block shots and rebound.  And anytime the Spurs don't have TD, it's a disadvantage.  But the advantage will be short-lived because he's going to be slowly worked back into the rotation."

The San Antonio Spurs (57-14) will face the Portland Trail Blazers (41-30) in Portland tonight looking to remove the ugly taste of losing a close game to the Denver Nuggets.

The Spurs and Blazers have split their last two meetings this season with each team winning on their home court. In the last meeting in Portland, the Spurs lost 99 to 86 where Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge poured in a then career high of 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds handing the Spurs their eighth loss of the season. Portland won the fourth quarter 28-15 on a 21-8 run to end the quarter. In that game, the Spurs were paced by Manu Ginobili with 17 points and DeJuan Blair chipped in with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Blazers tend to give the Spurs major trouble. Portland has not allowed the Spurs to score 100 points since 2007, a streak of 10 games and without Tim Duncan tonight who is still out with an ankle injury, it could be a long night for the Spurs frontcourt to contain Blazers' Aldridge.

To discuss tonight's contest, I turn to friend of Project Spurs Sophia Brugato of Pinwheel Empire, by far the most fan interactive, comprehensive, Blazers site on the Internet. Everything a Blazers fan needs in one site. Check out Pinwheel Empire HERE.

In this Q&A, Sophia discusses the newest Blazer Gerald Wallace, whether LaMarcus Aldridge should have been an All-Star over Duncan, why Portland gives San Antonio trouble, and more.

Jeff: How has the addition of Gerald Wallace been for the Blazers? Likes? Dislikes?

Sophia: Wallace has been a great addition for the Blazers. His greatest strength is his defense, he is an incredible individual defender and he's seamless in the Blazers' team defense. His energy is unmatched. I wish his 3 point shooting was better, however, his relentless drives to the basket, which work to open up the floor for everyone else playing, sort of wipes out any complaints I have about his shooting.

Currently, the Blazers are sitting in the sixth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Strategically, should they remain in that sixth spot and face the Dallas Mavericks or try to move up and and face the Oklahoma City Thunder?

• The San Antonio Spurs will face the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow night in Portland and Marcus Camby will be back in the Blazers' lineup after suffering a sprained ankle:

Center Marcus Camby, who sat out the Trail Blazers' last game with a sprained ankle, said Thursday he will play in Friday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

"San Antonio tomorrow, it's a big game," Camby said after practice Thursday. "We play this team twice in a matter of days. The next week, the stretch of games we have is important, so it’s important for all of us to be out there on the court."
(oregonlive.com)

• With the Spurs holding a comfortable lead in the NBA standings at six games, Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol says it's unlikely the Lakers will catch the Spurs:

There was also some discussion with Gasol about whether or not the Lakers are still looking at the Spurs, six games ahead in the standings with 10 left to play for L.A. and 11 for the Spurs. Gasol said it would be "very unlikely" for the Spurs to lose enough games (six) to even give the Lakers a chance at running the table for a tie, and responded to a reporter's question about whether or not he were sticking pins in a Tim Duncan (out with a sprained ankle) doll as follows: "No, not at all. I don't have a Tim Duncan doll." (nba.com)

• With the NCAA Tournament in full swing, the New York Times says BYU's Jimmer Fredette would not fit in with the Spurs' system should he go pro:

An Eastern Conference personnel director said that much of Fredette’s success in the N.B.A. could be predicated by what team he ends up on. He might flourish in a system like those of the Knicks, the Phoenix Suns or the Golden State Warriors, where the emphasis is on offense and scoring. A team like the San Antonio Spurs would likely not be as good a fit.

“I think he will translate fine as a pure shooter,” the personnel director said. He added: “He will need to go to a team that is either stacked with good defenders or a team that doesn't emphasize defense. For as sharp a shooter as he is, he’s just as bad of a defender.”

• RedsArmy.com sends out a spy to keep an eye on the Spurs.

• Express News' Tim Griffin shares some notes from last night's Spurs-Denver Nuggets game.

Hit the jump to read about how to win free tickets to the upcoming Spurs-Blazers game in San Antonio, an Austin Toros update, which team former Spur Sean Elliott is picking to win the NCAA Tournament and more.

San Antonio Spurs fans held their collective breath at the sight of Tim Duncan clutching his ankle in the opening moments of the game against the Golden State Warriors this past week.

Fortunately for the Spurs, Duncan's sprain wasn't as bad as it looked and he will be out of action for possibly up to four or five games. Not to mention Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich plans on having Duncan back at the start of playoffs.

Enter Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler.

Currently, the Mavericks are in the third spot in the Western Conference playoff race and should these two teams meet, it will likely be in the Western Conference Finals.

However, with Duncan recovering, Chandler said if Dallas does meet San Antonio in the playoffs, he wants to beat a fully healthy Spurs squad:

"I want to beat the Spurs and I want to beat the Spurs healthy. I don't want any crutch."

In the Western Conference standings, the Spurs hold a 7.5 game lead over the Mavericks and barring any major meltdown by San Antonio, Dallas will not catch San Antonio.

Chandler knows this but does say the injury to Duncan possibly changes things up in the West playoff race:

"It definitely has the possibility of changing things," Chandler admitted. "But I think, at this point of the year, we have to really concentrate on us. A lot of times you can get caught up in, 'Oh, San Antonio is going to fall' but, regardless of what happens, you have to be playing your best."

I can appreciate Chandler's point. Spurs fans would want the same from whichever team San Antonio faces in the first round. Not to mention erasing any doubt on which is the better team in the end.

But if Chandler wants to face the Spurs, and beat them, so be it. However, here are a few words of advice for Chandler -- be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.