Game Day Preview: Spurs vs. Clippers

Written by Robby Lim on Dec 01, 2010 08:03.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (15-2) vs. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (3-15)

TEAM LEADERS
	Points	Rebounds	Assists
SPURS	Manu Ginobili 21.9	Tim Duncan 9.7	Tony Parker 7.3
CLIPPERS	Eric Gordon 24.3	Blake Griffin 11.6	Eric Gordon 4.9

Clippers_logo The San Antonio Spurs improved to 8-0 on the road for the first time with last night's 118-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Manu Ginobili had 27 points and Tim Duncan recorded his third regular season triple-double against the Warriors by scoring 15 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and dishing out a career high-tying 11 assists.

The Spurs (15-2) will be seeking their third victory over the Clippers this season, and 19th straight in their overall regular season matchup.

Chris Kaman will likely miss his 11th straight game, while Baron Davis remains day-to-day after sitting the last 10 games.

Without two of his top players, coach Vinny Del Negro has leaned heavily on Eric Gordon and rookie Blake Griffin on offense.

The Clippers' (3-15) last win against the Spurs was a 98-85 victory at home on March 7, 2006.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Offense -- The Spurs have enough firepower, entering this game, five Spurs players are averaging on double figures. Making their outside shots will also be key for the Spurs.

Defense -- Limit Gordon and Griffin on offense, control the boards and close out of the Clippers' perimeter shooters.

CLIPPERS:

Offense -- Their offense starts with Gordon and Griffin and if Kaman and Davis don't play, the young duo will again have to carry much of the offensive load for the Clippers.

Defense -- Limit Ginobili, Parker, Jefferson and Hill's dribble penetrations and contain Duncan on the inside.

INJURIES

Spurs -- James Anderson - stress fracture (out)

Clippers -- Chris Kaman - left ankle (day-to-day), Baron Davis - knee (day-to-day)

PREDICTION: The Spurs have won 18 straight against the Clippers but are playing the second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers is a young team with a ton of potential and will try their hardest to get another win.

It will be important for the Spurs to start the game strong to avoid an upset. This could be a "trap game". However, I still believe that the Spurs will win this one and extend their new winning streak to three games.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Stats of the Game: Spurs vs. Warriors

Written by Robby Lim on Dec 01, 2010 04:29.

statofgame10 The San Antonio Spurs improved their NBA-best record to 15-2 with a 118-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

The Spurs finished the month of November 14-1 and remained undefeated in eight road games.

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

87.1 - The Spurs made their free throws, hitting 27-31 (87.1%) of their foul shots. The Warriors made just 11-18 (61.1%) free throws.

50 - San Antonio controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Warriors 50-44.

36 - The Spurs bench outscored the Warriors' reserves 36-19.

32 - Stephen Curry had a game high 32 points and added five assists and three rebounds for the Warriors.

31 - The Spurs played better as a team, they had 31 assists for the game compared to just 20 by the Warriors.

30 - The Spurs used their running game and outscored the Warriors in transition 30-23.

27 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.

16-10 - After playing limited minutes in the past three games, DeJuan Blair delivered a double-double (16 points and 10 boards) in 28 minutes of action.

15-18-11 - Tim Duncan tallied his third career regular season triple-double with 15 points, 18 rebounds and 11 dimes. His last regular season triple-double came on March 14, 2003. He also has four career post season triple-doubles.

12 - The Spurs held Monta Ellis to just 12 points on 6-16 shooting from the field. George Hill scored 12 points off the Spurs' bench, including 8-9 from the foul line.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had 14 points, two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes. Tiago Splitter had two points, one rebound and one assists in eight minutes of action.

What's Next? The San Antonio Spurs will visit Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center tonight.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Game Day Preview: Spurs vs. Warriors

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 30, 2010 01:38.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (14-2) vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (8-9)

TEAM LEADERS
	Points	Rebounds	Assists
SPURS	Manu Ginobili 21.6	Tim Duncan 9.2	Tony Parker 7.4
WARRIORS	Monta Ellis 24.9	David Lee 10.7	Stephen Curry 5.8

GoldenState_logo The San Antonio Spurs are the only NBA team yet to lose on the road, they are averaging 105.3 points in away games and will try to start another winning streak when they visit the Golden State Warriors tonight at the ORACLE Arena.

Manu Ginobili led the way with 23 points in a 109-95 victory against the New Orleans Hornets last Sunday. San Antonio battled back from a 17-point third quarter deficit after falling to the Dallas Mavericks 103-94 last Friday -- their first loss since Oct. 30.

The Spurs (14-2) limited the Hornets to 34 points in the second half and scored a season-high 37 in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors (8-9) ended a five-game losing streak with a 104-94 win at Minnesota on Saturday night. Dorell Wright set a franchise record with nine 3-pointers while scoring a career-high 30 points. He has averaged 21.3 points in his last three games.

David Lee returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lacerated elbow. He had 10 points and six boards against the Timberwolves.

Monta Ellis averaged 38.7 points in three games against the Spurs last season, and has scored 30 points a game at home this year. San Antonio has gone 39-5 against the Warriors with Tim Duncan in the lineup.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Offense -- Duncan has to set the tone on offense and open the lane for Ginobili, Parker, and Jefferson's dribble penetrations. George Hill, Gary Neal and Matt Bonner should give the Spurs the needed spark from the bench.

Defense -- Limit Ellis on offense, control the boards and close out of the Warrior's outside shooters.

WARRIORS:

Offense -- Their offense starts with Ellis and he will have plenty of help with Lee on the inside and Wright and Curry on the wings.

Defense -- Besides containing Duncan on the inside, they have to limit Ginobili, Parker, Jefferson and Hill's dribble drives and kick outs.

INJURIES

Spurs -- James Anderson - stress fracture (out)

Warriors -- No Significant Injuries.

PREDICTION: The Spurs may have the Warriors' numbers but they cannot take them lightly. The Warriors have definitely improve from last season and are 5-2 at home.

The team that dictates the tempo of the game and plays better defense will win it. I'm picking the Spurs to win it by 10 points or less.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Don't count out Hill

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 29, 2010 07:00.

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.

George_hill 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.

Stats of the Game: Spurs vs. Hornets

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 29, 2010 02:23.

statofgame10 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

Quinn: "It's good to be part of a winner."

Written by Jeff Garcia on Nov 28, 2010 20:03.

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.

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Game Day Preview: Spurs vs. Hornets

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 28, 2010 00:14.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (13-2) vs. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (12-3)

TEAM LEADERS
	Points	Rebounds	Assists
SPURS	Manu Ginobili 21.5	Tim Duncan 9.3	Tony Parker 7.3
HORNETS	David West 18.2	Emeka Okafor 9.6	Chris Paul 10.3

Hornets_logo The San Antonio Spurs will visit the New Orleans Hornets tonight looking for a bit of revenge as try to extend their Southwest Division lead.

The Hornets (12-3) beat the Spurs 99-90 on Oct. 30, with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sitting out the fourth quarter after San Antonio fell behind by 16 at the end of the third quarter.

Since then, the Spurs (13-2) racked-up 12 straight wins, a streak that ended last Friday with a 103-94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite the loss, the Spurs are off to their best 15-game start in franchise history. Duncan has struggled early this season, he is averaging just 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds -- far below his career averages of 21.0 points and 11.6 rebounds.

The Hornets are coming off a nice 97-78 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers last Friday. They held the Blazers to a season-low 13 points in the fourth quarter to move within one game of the Spurs in the South West.

Chris Paul scored 16 points and added 13 assists, and Willie Green scored a team high 19 points off the bench.

The Hornets leads the league in points allowed at 91.1 points per game, while the Spurs are third in scoring with 107.1 points per game.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Offense -- Tim Duncan has to wakeup and get out of his slump. The Spurs will need his inside presence to open the lane for Ginobili, Parker, and Jefferson. George Hill, Matt Bonner and Gary Neal should give the Spurs the added punch from the bench.

Defense -- They will have to limit Chris Paul's play making ability, contain David West and Okafor on the inside and be wary of the Hornet's outside shooters.

HORNETS:

Offense -- Their offense starts with Chris Paul and he have plenty of help with Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli on the wings and Okafor and West on the inside.

Defense -- Besides containing Duncan on the middle, they have to limit Ginobili, Parker and Jefferson's dribble penetrations and guard the Spurs' perimeter shooters.

INJURIES

Spurs -- James Anderson - stress fracture (out)

Hornets -- No Significant Injuries.

PREDICTION: The Spurs could be thinking payback in this one as they try to get back to the win column. The Hornets are still unbeaten in New Orleans while the Spurs are perfect on the road.

This could be a down-the-wire finish, the Spurs will avenge their early season loss against the Hornets and get back on the right track.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Stats of the Game: Spurs vs. Mavs

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 27, 2010 00:51.

statofgame10 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

Game Day Preview: Spurs vs. Mavs

Written by Robby Lim on Nov 25, 2010 23:00.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (13-1) vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS (10-4)

TEAM LEADERS
	Points	Rebounds	Assists
SPURS	Manu Ginobili 20.8	Tim Duncan 9.4	Tony Parker 7.7
MAVS	Dirk Nowitzki 26.4	Tyson Chandler 8.5	Jason Kidd 9.5

Dallas_logo The Southwest Division rivals meet for the first time since the San Antonio Spurs knocked the Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs last season when they play tonight at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Spurs (13-1) are enjoying their longest win streak since a 13 game run on Feb. 13-March 13, 2007. They will try to duplicate that feat against the Mavericks who are entering this game with a three game win streak of their own.

Nowitzki is currently the league's second-leading scorer at 26.4 points per game and is shooting a career-high 53.6% from the field. Last Wednesday, he led the Mavericks (10-4) to a 111-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with 34 points.

Tyson Chandler had season highs of 17 points and 18 rebounds in Wednesday's win over the Thunder, his biggest game since coming over from Charlotte in the offseason.

San Antonio rallied from 21 point deficit for a 113-109 overtime victory at Minnesota on Wednesday with Manu Ginobili scoring 14 points in the final period.

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:

Offense -- Ginobili, Parker, and Jefferson are providing enough offense. However, they will need Tim Duncan to hold his own on the inside to have a chance. George Hill, Matt Bonner and Gary Neal gives the Spurs an extra boost from the bench.

Defense -- They will have to make Nowitzki earn his points, be wary of Kidd's play-making ability and close out on the Mavs' shooters.

MAVS:

Offense -- Their offense starts with Kidd and Nowitzki and they have plenty of help with Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Caron Butler on the wings, and Chandler and Haywood in the paint.

Defense -- Limit Ginobili, Parker and Jefferson's dribble penetrations and guard the Spurs' perimeter shooters.

INJURIES

Spurs -- James Anderson - stress fracture (out)

Mavs -- Shawn Marion - undisclosed illness (day-to-day), Brendan Haywood - right thigh contusion (day-to-day)

PREDICTION: The Mavericks could be thinking payback in this one and will bring their "A-Game" against San Antonio and try to extend their own win streak to four games.

The Spurs' winning streak almost ended in their last outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, so expect a better start from them this time as they face a familiar foe. This should be a battle and will have a playoff-type of atmosphere. The Mavericks is a strong team and are playing very well lately. However, I still give the nod to San Antonio, because they have the homecourt advantage. Spurs will win another close one!

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Happy Thanksgiving from Project Spurs and Toros Nation

Written by Jeff Garcia on Nov 25, 2010 10:28.

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.

Tony Parker’s personal life has yet to effect his ability to do what he does best- put points on the board.

Manu Ginobili is fully healthy and is looking like the Ginobili Spurs fans have grown to enjoy on the court.

Richard Jefferson is finally looking comfortable in the Spurs system and is producing on the court.

As you can see there are sooo many reasons to be thankful when it comes to this season's squad but more importantly everyone at Project Spurs and Toros Nation are thankful for you, our loyal readers and listeners of the Spurscast and the Toros Nation podcast.