SPURS:

The San Antonio Spurs are currently 14-2, are on top of the NBA standings, playing well, winning ball games they supposed to win, and shown veteran poise, executing and closing out games down the stretch.

Despite the team's hot-start however, Spurs third year guard George Hill seems to struggle with his new role. Last season, Hill started in 43 games and played the best basketball of his young NBA career. He averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds while shooting 47.8% from the field in 78 games and finished second in the Most Improved Player Award, behind Houston Rockets' Aaron Brooks.

This year, after 16 games Hill is averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 45.3% field goal shooting in 26.1 minutes per game. It's noticeable his numbers are down in the young season as compared to last year.

Earlier this season, Hill went scoreless in 21 minutes against the Charlotte Bobcats going 0-4 from the field. He had a bounce back game of sorts against the Philadelphia 76ers, and scored 16 points on 5-8 shooting from the field, including 1-1 from beyond the arc but then he followed it up with 1-10 clank-fest in a Spurs' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, little by little, Hill appears to be back on his groove, looking more comfortable on the floor and his off the bench role. During the last five games, he is averaging 13.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 53.4% shooting from the field, including 100% from the foul line.

In Spurs' overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Hill provided a spark off the bench, scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and helped the Spurs trim down a 21 point deficit.

Even in their defeat against the Dallas Mavericks, Hill reminded everyone how important he is for the Spurs. With Tony Parker struggling with his shots, Hill played his best performance of the season. He scored 21 points, grabbed three boards, had three steals and did not commit a single turnover in 33 minutes of action.

And in the team's latest victory, he scored 14 points (12 in the second half), dished out four assists and grabbed three boards to help the Spurs overcome a 17 point third quarter deficit.  

Hill is getting his confidence back and that is great news for the Spurs. If he gets back to the same level as he was a year ago, there is no doubt that the Spurs are going to be a better team as the season goes on.

And just when people think Hill could be on a down year, he shows up again as if saying, don't count out George just yet.

The San Antonio Spurs erased a 17-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 109-95 on the road.

Manu Ginobili scored 15 points in the second half to lead the come back and hand the Hornets their first home loss of the season.

It's now time to look at the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' victory.

109 - The Spurs' 109 points were the most allowed by the Hornets this season.

65 - San Antonio outscored New Orleans 65-34 in the second half.

60.5 - The Spurs shot 23-39 (60.5%) in the second half including seven 3-pointers.

50 - The Hornets made 36-72 (50%) of their shots from the floor, including 5-11 (45.5%) from behind the arc.

42 - The Spurs controlled the boards and out rebounded the Hornets 42-34.

25 - The Spurs shared the ball well, they had 25 dimes for the game. Nine coming from Tony Parker. 

23 - Manu Ginobili had a great all-around game, he had 23 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block for the Spurs. David West led the Hornets with 23 points and seven boards.

21 - Tim Duncan scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added two block hots, snapping a streak of 11 straight games in which he failed to score at least 20 points.

19 - Richard Jefferson added 19 points on 7-11 shooting for the Spurs.  

15 - Chris Paul had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Hornets.

12 - George Hill scored 14 points off the Spurs' bench, 12 coming in the second half.

7 - The Spurs improved to 7-0 on the road and remains the only undefeated team on the road in the NBA. The Hornets has now lost seven of their last nine games against the Spurs.

6 - Tony Parker had only six points and six rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

0 - Blair, Jefferson and Ginobili did not commit a single turnover for the entire game.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had eight points, three rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes. While Tiago Splitter had five points and three boards in 11 minutes of action.

What's Next? The San Antonio Spurs will visit the Golden State Warriors at the ORACLE Arena on Tuesday.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Quinn is enjoying being a part of the Spurs especially after coming off a losing season with the New Jersey Nets, the worst team in the NBA last season.

Now with the Spurs, he recently had some glowing comments about his new team:

“It’s quite the contrast,” Quinn said recently of a Nets team that won 12 games last season and a Spurs club that has won 14 of its first 16 in 2010-11.

“It’s good to be part of a winner,” he said. “That’s everyone’s goal in this league, to be part of a winning organization, and it’s clear that things are done the right way here.” (source nytimes.com)

A winner indeed. The Spurs boast one of the better records in the NBA and showed veteran poise against the New Orleans Hornets in their comeback win.

Hopefully Quinn will be able to get some time on the court and show what he can give the Spurs.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

The Dallas Mavericks snapped the Spurs' winning streak at 12 games beating the San Antonio Spurs 103-94.

The Mavs pulled away with 14-2 run in final five minutes of the game to seal the victory.

Now, it's time to look at the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' recent defeat.

92.6 - The Spurs are making their free throws lately, They made 25-27 (92.6%) of their foul shots including 9-9 from Manu Ginobili and 8-8 from George Hill. 

52.7 - The Mavericks hit their stride from the floor connecting on 39-74 (52.7%) shots from the field, while the Spurs made just 31-69 (44.9%) of their field goal attempts.

31 - Manu Ginobili had a game high 31 points, 16 in the first quarter alone.

28 - The Spurs did not share the ball well, they only had 13 assists for the entire game compared to the Mavericks' 28 dimes.

26 - Dirk Nowitzki seems to have little trouble on the offensive end, he led the Mavericks with 26 points on 12-14 shooting from the field.

21 - George Hill provided an energy off the Spurs' bench and had 21 points, three assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

19 - Shawn Marion scored 19 points for the Mavericks, 11 coming in the final period.

15 - Tim Duncan added 15 points, eight boards, four assists, one assist and one block for San Antonio.

9 - Tony Parker was held to just nine points of 4-12 shooting from the floor.

2 - Richard Jefferson was 0-4 from the field and had two points and three rebounds for the night. Ime Udoka scored two points in five minutes of action.

0 - DeJuan Blair was scoreless in 13 minutes, but had four rebounds and two assists.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal scored five points, and had two rebounds and one assists in 14 minutes of playing time. Tiago Splitter had four points and two rebounds in 8 minutes.

What's Next? The San Antonio Spurs will visit Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday at the New Orleans Arena.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

The Mavericks won their regular season matchup against the Spurs last year 3-1, but were dispatched by San Antonio in the playoffs 4-2.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

By Mikkayla Guillett and Jeff Garcia

Thanksgiving week is the one week out of the year where society (and more importantly your mother) makes you give thanks for the things in life. You know the routine. I’m thankful for my family, friends, job, etc. Scratch that. Let’s talk about what you’re really thankful for… the San Antonio Spurs.

Currently sitting atop of the NBA with a 13-1 record and a 12 game winning streak. End of story.

From everyone at Project Spurs and Toros Nation we’d like to wish everyone a safe and joyous Thanksgiving. Please prepare yourself for Friday’s game as the Spurs battle the Dallas Mavericks at home.

Sorry. It doesn’t end there. Obviously something’s got to be going right if the team is off to the best start since their first tip-off in 1973.

Tim Duncan, currently in his 14^th season, is the only player flirting with double-double averages ( 13.4 points, 9.4 rebounds). More importantly Duncan is now the Spurs all-time scoring leader.

After a horrid shooting during the first half, the San Antonio Spurs made 6-10 three pointers in the final period to overcome a 21 point deficit and avoid an upset from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 12 games and handed the young Timberwolves another painful loss.

It's now time to look at the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' latest win.

80.6 - San Antonio made 29-36 (80.6%) of their foul shots, while the Timberwolves connected 18-24 (75%) of their free throws.

53 - The Timberwolves crashed the boards and out rebounded the Spurs 53-45.

50 - The Spurs' outside shots weren't falling early, they finished the game 10-32 (31.3%) from the 3-point area. The Timberwolves made 7-14 (50%) of their shots from beyond the arc.

44 - The Timberwolves pounded it on the inside, they outscored the Spurs 44-32 on inside points.

32 - Kevin Love had a game-high 32 points and 22 rebounds.

26 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs 26 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block shot.

22 - Darko Milicic had another great night, he had 22 points, eight boards and five blocks but committed seven turnovers.

19 - Richard Jefferson continues to contribute for the Spurs, he added 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.

14 - Manu Ginobili scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Spurs from a 21 point deficit.

13 - The Spurs took care of the ball once again, they only had 13 turnovers compared to 18 by the Timberwolves. 

12 - George Hill had a solid effort from the bench, he had 12 points, five rebounds and one assists in 25 minutes of action.

11 - The Spurs held Timberwolves' leading scorer Michael Beasley to just 11 points on 5-12 shooting from the field.

9 - Tim Duncan was totally outplayed by Love and Milicic inside the paint, he only scored nine points but added 13 boards and three assists in 30 minutes of playing time.

0 - Tony Parker and Jefferson did not commit a single turnover for the entire game.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal scored six points including three free throws to force overtime. Tiago Splitter had six points, four rebounds, one block and a steal in 22 minutes of action.

What's Next? The Spurs will host the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Friday.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

The San Antonio Spurs are 12-1 and atop the league standings. Over the past eight days, they’ve defeated the Thunder in OKC — on the second night of a back to back. They’ve beaten the Jazz in Utah — exacting a little revenge from last year’s regular-season sweep (4-0). They’ve managed to tame two Eastern conference beasts at the friendly confines of the AT&T Center (Chicago and Orlando). The league and its writers are beginning to take notice; no longer is a soft, favorable schedule providing the ammunition to dismiss.

There is so much for a Spurs fan to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. Forget all that has become before, the championships and all the cherished Spurs’ memories, this year has exceeded all expectation through thirteen games: Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been hands-down the best backcourt in the NBA. Duncan, while taking a bit of a backseat, is healthy — still making his presence felt— and looking more than capable of being a dominant force when called upon. Richard Jefferson has found a way, his game, his confidence. Antonio McDyess looks to have found the fountain of youth (or some HGH — kidding). The Spurs have added three rookies to the roster in Splitter, Anderson and Neal, that have all exhibited the ability to be quality rotation players. Matt Bonner, well, the redhead can shoot it a bit — currently boasting a league-leading 3-point percentage (69.2%).

So pass the turkey, the pie and a nice cold beverage. Time to just kick back, relax and give thanks for all that is Spurs’ basketball and Tryptophan.

Or not.