The San Antonio Spurs withstood a late rally to beat the Utah Jazz 112-105 for their 10th win in the last 11 games.

The Spurs improved to a franchise-best, 39-7 record after 46 games. The Jazz are known for their comeback victories this season, overcoming deficits of more than 15 points seven times.

However, the Spurs made just enough clutch plays down the stretch to spoil Utah's comeback bid.

What are the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' recent victory? Let's find out!

79.3 - Both teams went to the foul line often, the Spurs shot their free throws a bit better, making 23-29 (79.3%) foul shots, while the Jazz connected on 21-28 (75%) free throws.

54.7 - Utah shot a blistering 41-75 (54.7%) from the floor. The Spurs weren't that bad either, hitting  41-80 (51.3%) of their field goal attempts.

39 - Deron Williams had a game high 39 points with 17 coming in the final quarter. He also had nine assist and four rebounds for the Jazz. The Spurs leads the league win 39 wins after 46 regular season games.

35 - The Spurs shot 7-20 (35.0%) from behind the arc while the Jazz just made 2-12 (16.7%) of their 3-point attempts.

33 - San Antonio had a slight edge on the rebounding department edging the Jazz 33-31 on the boards.

26 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 26 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.

23 - Tony Parker added 23 points, six assists and three rebounds for San Antonio but also committed five turnovers. The Spurs had 23 dimes compared to Utah's 21.

22 - Al Jefferson chipped in 22 points and nine boards for the Jazz. 

13 - Tim Duncan had 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and a steal for the Spurs. Gary Neal scored 13 points off the Spurs' bench while C.J. Miles also scored 13 points from the Jazz bench.

10 - George Hill had 10 points and three rebounds for San Antonio while Andrei Kirilenko had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Jazz in 37 minutes of action.

0 - Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, Hill and Neal did not commit a single turnover for the entire game.

Rookie Watch: Neal scored 13 points and had two assists in 20 minutes of action. Tiago Splitter had one steal in seven minutes. James Anderson was assigned to the Austin Toros and scored 12 points in his debut.

What's Next? The Spurs will host the Houston Rockets at the AT&T Center on Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @RobbyLim21

By D'Ann Faught
Cross-posted from TorosNation.com

One of the benefits of the NBA D-League is that the fans get a sneak peek at some talent of the future. Attendees to the Austin Toros morning game on Wednesday got a special treat when James Anderson, the San Antonio Spurs 2010 first-round draft pick, suited up for the Toros in a conditioning stint.

James Anderson was drafted 20^th overall this year by the San Antonio Spurs from Oklahoma State. The 6’6” guard from Oklahoma State started off a promising season in San Antonio, averaging 7 points per game and converting on 50% of his three-point attempts. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Anderson was sidelined in mid-November with a stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal. The injury required surgery and has kept Anderson on the bench since November.

After rumors had been swirling for over a week, James Anderson was finally assigned to the Austin Toros to get some game time in the D-League before his return to San Antonio. Good news for Spurs fans? Anderson looked strong in his debut during the Toros win today, getting 11:35 of playing time and scoring 12 points for the victors.

Anderson went in for 5:12 in the first quarter, but then sat out for the remainder of the first half. Anderson said the first five minutes he was “just trying to get loose and find a good rhythm.” Having not played with the team he also faced the challenge of “getting a feel for the guys.” In the third period, he came out and started contributing right away on the scoreboard. Anderson said he was happy to be “able to create…able to find some guys and some shots for himself.”

After the game Anderson said his foot felt good and that he felt like he was “back to 100 percent.” He mentioned that it felt good playing on it and landing on it, but he knew that he would have to work to be ready for the Spurs when they call. Anderson said that the Spurs have not given him any timetable for his return, but instead were playing it by ear and seeing how he progresses. While Anderson will likely be with the Toros for a few games to work into playing more minutes and getting back into basketball condition, it will not be long before he is back in the NBA at this rate.

It appears Larry Owens' time in San Antonio will be extended at least another ten days, according to an official announcement from the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Larry Owens to a second 10-day contract. Owens signed his first 10-day contract with the Spurs on January 16 becoming the second call-up of the 2010-11 NBA Development League season.

Owens, a 6-7, 210-pound forward, has appeared in five games for the Spurs, averaging 1.8 points in 5.2 minutes per game. He is shooting .600 (3-5) from the field and .333 (1-3) from three-point territory.

With James Anderson getting back into playing shape with the Toros in Austin, the Spurs had the space to keep Owens around and he'll have another ten days to prove to the Spurs that he belongs in San Antonio.

Ranking	Team	Last poll	Change	Record	Avg Ranking
3		7	4	34.6	2.5
		"I hate to say it, but I still see this team wearing down as the season progresses."-Thunderballers

The San Antonio Spurs ranked third in the Bloguin NBA Power Rankings for the month of January. Coming in first was the Boston Celtics and second the Miami Heat.

I can see why the Celtics would come in first especially getting the win, without Kevin Garnett, over the Spurs but to come in behind the Heat is questionable. Spurs have a better record than the Heat in the month of January unlike the Heat. To see the complete Bloguin NBA Power Rankings, click HERE.

OK Spurs fans time to chime in on the power rankings. Do you agree or disagree where the Spurs ranked?

The Spurs announced today that they have assigned James Anderson to the Austin Toros.

Anderson, a 6-6, 215-pound guard, has been out since November 11 when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. Before the injury, he appeared in six games for the Spurs, averaging 7.0 points and 1.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. He is shooting .424 (14-33) from the field and .500 (10-20) from three-point land.

Anderson is the first player the Spurs have assigned to the Toros this season. The Toros host the Reno Bighorns today at 11:00 a.m. at the Cedar Park Center.

Anderson will have the opportunity to work himself back into playing shape in Austin while seeing more time on the floor for the Toros.

For more on the Toros and to keep tabs on Anderson's progress while in Austin, visit our sister site, Toros Nation. 

• San Antonio Spurs' forward Matt Bonner continues to rehab his injured knee and will not join the Spurs on the road trip to Utah to play against the Jazz:

“He hasn’t improved a lick,” Popovich said. “It still isn’t getting any better. We’re real concerned about it.”

Also, the Spurs have not made a decision on whether to keep Larry Owens:

“They haven’t given me feedback (about whether he’ll be re-signed),” Owens said. “I just can’t worry about any of that. If I get minutes, I have to go out there and bust my tail. After that, we’ll see what happens.” (source Express News)

• Now that San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been announced as the 2011 Western Conference All-Star coach, he and the assistant coaches will have to fill out the bench and according to Popovich, Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis might have a spot:

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich conceded Ellis is "having an All-Star kind of year." (source mercurynews.com)

• Bloguin's own Stepien Rules, listed their NBA divisional All-Star teams and for the Southwest Division, a few Spurs made the list:

SG – Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs. Best player on the best team in the West (and quite possibly the entire league), he’s been playing at another level this season. A level I didn’t think he’d have in him at this age, but him being a starter has rejuvenated him to a degree where he’s a genuine contender as MVP right now. If he can avoid those niggly injuries he’s become accustomed to, the Spurs will be for real come May and June.

C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Duncan is having the worst year of his glittering career with measly averages of 14 points and 9 rebounds. Yep, those are career lows. He’s still had a couple of vintage Timmy games and he still hits that bank shot from the corner better than anyone else, but Duncan has accepted that his legs aren’t what they used to be and has accepted a smaller role in what the Spurs do. Scary, that he’s probably option 4 on this team when they need a bucket at times. Right now, would you bet against him and Pop winning it all again? Thought so.

Reserves

PG – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs.

SF – Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs

• Stepien Rules also listed who they want to see on the 2011 Rookie All-Star squad and Spurs' Gary Neal made the cut:

SG – Gary Neal, San Antonio Spurs. At the start of the season I had fellow Spur James Anderson pegged for this spot, but Andersons injury has resulted in Neal stepping up. He’s had some big games when the Spurs needed a spark, and for $525,000 a year may be the bargain deal of the season. Great to see him embracing his second chance at NBA Stardom, good for him.

• Express News' Tim Griffin talks about the Spurs bench.

• Two men in El Paso, Texas were arrested for fraud which included Spurs tickets:

El Paso promoter Ramiro Guzman, one of two El Pasoans who pleaded guilty to bribing elected officials in South Texas two years ago, was sentenced to four months probation on Monday by a federal judge in McAllen, according to court records.

According to court records and the indictment issued in 2008, both men admitted that the items they gave to officials included tickets to a San Antonio Spurs basketball game, tickets to Houston Astros baseball games and tickets to an Oscar de la Hoya boxing match in Las Vegas at a cost of $6,500. (source elpasotimes.com)

Former San Antonio Spurs play-by-play announcer, Greg Papa, sat down with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich prior to the Warriors game to interview him for Chronicle Live on Comcast Sports Net.

Papa and Popovich talked about the current Spurs record, his time coaching in Golden State, his relationship with Tim Duncan and how long he plans on coaching.

"He was a great follower when David was here and it turned him into a great leader," Popovich said of Duncan. "It's pretty hard to not follow his lead."

Popovich also said he plans to continue coaching although he says he does not plan to coach as long as Don Nelson and Larry Brown, who he coached under in Golden State and in San Antonio.

"I still love it and I can see myself coaching for a while."

YouTube link

Although none of the San Antonio Spurs "Big Three" were voted by the fans to start in the 2011 All-Star game, Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich has been named to coach the Western Conference All-Stars in Los Angeles.

Spurs fans know Popovich doesn't care for these personal accolades but according to Tim Duncan, Pop has been "excited" about coaching at the All-Star game all season.

(video woai.com)

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

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be coaching the Western Conference All-Stars at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

With the Spurs win over the Golden State Warriors, they have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference through games played through February 6.

This season, Popovich has guided the Spurs to the league’s best record, earning consecutive Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for games played in October/November and December. The Spurs have enjoyed double-digit winning streaks of 12 and 10 games this season.

In his 15th season as head coach, Popovich has led the Spurs to four NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007) and is one of only five coaches in NBA history to have guided his teams to at least four championships. Popovich entered the season with a career mark of 736-362 and a winning percentage of .670, which ranked fourth in NBA history. His playoff career winning percentage of .618 (102-63) is the eighth best in NBA annals, while his 106 playoff wins are the third most in league history.

Popovich coached the West team during the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver, which the East won 125-115.

Now the question is, will Popovich be coaching any of the Spurs' big three as part of the Western Conference reserves.