After losing to the Houston Rockets, the Spurs came back to San Antonio to take on the Phoenix Suns. And in typical Spurs vs. Suns games, it came down to the final minutes.
The Suns came into this game on a 5-game winning streak and brought their high-scoring offense to San Antonio.
Let's fast-forward to the fourth quarter.
It was a close game in the waning moments of the game and the Spurs were up by two points. Then, off a Spurs turnover, the Suns' Jason Richardson had a chance to tie the game.
He had an uncontested dunk when this happened.
Also, Steve Nash passed up a wide open three-point shot opportunity to tie the game but instead, he passed the ball to Suns' Channing Frye as the clock expired.
Suns lose to the Spurs. Final score 113-110, Spurs win.
Spurs fans can add this to the list of Suns failures against the Spurs along with Suns players coming off the bench in the Spurs vs. Suns playoff series when Robert Horry and Steve Nash got tangled up thus gaining suspensions for the next game, leaving Roger Mason wide open for a buzzer-beating three, never understanding defense wins championships, Nash passing up a three-point shot in today's game, and the constant playoff dismissals by the Spurs.
Now for some stats:
Richard Jefferson came off the bench for 20 points. Spurs are 6-0 when RJ scores 20 or more points. Hopefully Spurs fans will see more of this to end the season.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Antonio McDyess left the game with an injury scare, hyper-extending his left knee, but did come back into the game finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Tony Parker returned after dealing with stomach ailments, scoring 16 points.
Spurs bench scored 55 points, led by Manu Ginobili's 21 points and DeJuan Blair with 14 points.
Spurs shot 4-14 (28.6%) from the three-point line, 23-28 (82%) from the free-throw line, committed 11 turnovers, and grabbed 41 rebounds.
The Spurs beat an above .500 team and move their record to 33-24. They remain seventh in the Western Conference.
Last night the Spurs did not play a full four quarters of basketball and lost to the Houston Rockets. From the tip-off until late in the fourth quarter, the Spurs were just getting out-worked in every facet of the game. Poor shooting, lack of defense, and turnovers doomed the Spurs.
Though they did make a comeback in the fourth, it was too late. Final score from Houston was Rockets 109, Spurs 104.
After the game, Manu Ginobili said this on Twitter. Let's just say he was straight to the point about the Spurs performance. He pretty much summed up most of the Spurs season.
The Spurs went 1-1 for the week. They started off with a nice win over the Oklahoma City Thunder where Manu reminded us that he's still, well, Manu Ginobili. Then they lost to the Houston Rockets failing to complete a comeback attempt.
Now on to the links.
NBA.COM - Spurs.com's Ben Hunt caught up with Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford for an exclusive post-trade deadline interview.
48 Minutes of Hell - Timothy Varner made a nice run down of Manu Ginobili's scoring spurt in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter against the Detroit Pistons.
San Antonio Express News - Buck Harvey confirmed that Manu Ginobili is not normal. Well, he is actually Batman wearing jersey # 20 and plays for the Spurs.
SLAM Online - Adam Fleischer's interview with George Hill is a must read.
WOAI - Humberto Cervera talked about Manu Ginobili’s new move and some interesting Spurs rituals.
San Antonio Express News - Buck Harvey questioned the Spurs for not making a run at Marcus Camby at the trade deadline.
NBA.COM - Ken Rodriguez shares us this great story about Manu's beginnings as a basketball player in Bahia Blanca.
Bleacher Report - Robert Kleeman says that Richard Jefferson's wake up call starts with Spurs' trade deadline silence. It's about time you step up big time RJ!
San Antonio Express News - Mike Monroe believes that trades in the West means bad news for Spurs.
MLive - Patrick Hayes thinks that the San Antonio Spurs are not a good comparison for the Detroit Pistons.
San Antonio Express News - Mike Monroe reported on Popovich's plan to play Richard Jefferson as a small forward. That means less small ball lineup for the Spurs. Hooray!
NBA.COM - Spurs.com's Ben Hunt recently had the chance to talk with Spurs legend David Robinson about how the Spurs are making a difference in the San Antonio Community and his visions for giving.
Bleacher Report - Chad Smith gave his list of the 5 Most Underrated NBA Point Guards. Find out who is on the list.
San Antonio Express News - Jeff McDonald thinks that Manu was possessed in the Spurs' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ESPN - Henry Abbott tell us that good players aren't afraid to touch teammates. He even goes on saying that "As a supportive teammate, one of my favorite players has always been Tim Duncan..."
In this latest episode of the Spurscast, Michael De Leon and Jeff Garcia gave their take on the Spurs vs. Thunder game and looked ahead at the Spurs' upcoming schedule. A MUST LISTEN for all Spurs fans.
Once again, the Spurs couldn't sustain momentum after a big win. Maybe they'll get it done in the next few games. Winning their upcoming game against the Phoenix Suns would be a nice start!
After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to snap a two-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs went back on the road to take on the Houston Rockets.
The first quarter was forgettable as was much of the entire game. The Spurs came out flat, could not make a shot and had porous defense allowing the Rockets to score 31 points while the Spurs barely scored 14 after the first quarter. It only got worse for the Spurs if you can believe it.
However, through the power of Twitter, I shall give you the scores from the second and third quarters and give you the final from Houston.
I do give the Spurs credit for fighting back in the game late in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the bench, but overall this game was painful for Spurs fans. How painful was it? Check out these stats:
At the end of the first half, the Spurs shot 35%.
Tim Duncan had 17 points at halftime. The other Spurs starters had three points.
Largest lead for the Rockets was 23 points.
Rockets' Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, and Aaron Brooks all scored over 30 points.
The Spurs did cut the lead to three points late in the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run but it was too little too late.
Antonio McDyess, Keith Bogans, and Michael Finley went scoreless. All started the game for the Spurs.
Ian Mahinmi and Malik Hairston did see action tonight and both scored eight points off the bench. The loss drops the Spurs to 32-24 and are still seventh in the Western Conference. The Spurs will next play the Phoenix Suns this Sunday in San Antonio.
Tony Parker, the Spurs' starting point guard, missed the team's morning shootaround at Toyota Center with a stomach ailment that coach Gregg Popovich said resulted from food poisoning.
Parker's availability for tonight's game against the Rockets won't be determined until shortly before tipoff.
You know what else causes stomach ailments? Parker's rap video.
According to James Munoz of KENS 5 in San Antonio, former Spurs great Alvin Robertson is wanted in a probe of a child sex trafficking ring.
A former San Antonio Spurs player is wanted on charges of sexual performance of a child, trafficking of persons under 18 for prostitution and sexual assault of a child.
Alvin Robertson is wanted and has not been arrested. He is one of seven people allegedly involved in a child sex trafficking ring.
This isn't the first time Robertson, who is one of only four NBA players to ever record a quadruple-double, has been in trouble with the law.
He's had multiple charges including assault bodily injury, evading and resisting arrest, criminal mischief, burglary, violating a protective order and the list goes on and on.
Robertson had a great NBA career with the Spurs, Bucks Pistons and Raptors, averaging 14 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. On top of that, he was a two-time Olympic gold medal-winner and held the NBA steals record until recently, but that seems all for naught as Robertson's criminal record casts a shadow over his illustrious basketball career.
The trade deadline has passed and some teams made moves that will probably make them better. The Spurs opted to dump salary by sending Theo Ratliff to the Charlotte Bobcats for future considerations.
The move may not affect the Spurs current rotation, mainly because Ratliff hardly played, but the Spurs lost a player that can provide some defensive presence on the floor. Yes, Ratliff is an aging veteran, but he can still block some shots and his defensive ability could have been useful for short stretches.
With that being said, the Spurs' defensive inconsistency continues to be a major concern. However, with Ratliff's departure along with Marcus Haislip back overseas, this has left roster spots open for the Spurs.
The Spurs could very well carry on with the current lineup, but it could be a hint of things to come. For example, last season the Spurs made a move by signing Drew Gooden to bolster their frontcourt.
This year, if they can find a player that is good enough to help them for the stretch run, they could use a similar strategy.
It could be a player released by other teams but how about looking at a player on their own backyard? Their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.
On the current Austin Toros roster, there are some players that can potentially join the Spurs and may actually have an impact. I'm talking about Dwayne Jones and Alonzo Gee.
Dwayne Jones can address some of the Spurs' immediate concerns, namely defense and rebounding. Although the Spurs have young big man Ian Mahinmi, he has yet to realize his potential and still hasn't earn Coach Popovich's trust or playing time.
Dwayne Jones on the other hand, has been pretty impressive playing in the D-League. In 31 games with the Toros this year, he is averaging 16.5 points, 15.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks on 61.2% shooting from the field in 38.5 minutes of action.
Just recently, the Dallas Mavericks expressed interest in Dwayne Jones to fill the vacancy at the center position because of Erick Dampier's injury. However, they abandoned the idea of signing him to a 10-day contract after flying him in from Austin for an afternoon workout.
He also had some NBA experience playing for teams like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Charlotte Bobcats. His size and defensively ability could be intriguing for the Spurs and at age 27, he might just earn Coach Pop's vote of confidence.
What about Alonzo Gee? The Spurs are stacked at the shooting guard and small forward spots, and with Malik Hairston being recalled from Austin, the Spurs might not have enough playing time to use him.
However, Alonzo Gee provides a different dimension to the Spurs game. Alonzo Gee is a scorer and a good rebounder for his size. He has great strength, leaping ability and is very aggressive attacking the basket.
He has solid averages of 20.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 50% shooting in 37.6 minutes of playing time in 31 games with the Austin Toros.
These are not earth shaking moves. But with other teams getting better in the West, the Spurs will need all the help they can get. Nevertheless, if the Spurs do make a move by looking at the talent on the Toros squad, the question remains: will Coach Gregg Popovich will be willing to take some risk, give these younger players some significant playing time and allow them to showcase what they can bring to a veteran team like the Spurs?
What are your thoughts? Are Dwayne Jones and Alonzo Gee worth a shot or should the Spurs wait later in the season and look for some veteran help? Tell us what you think.
Spurs fans are very knowledgeable about the Spurs. They know Tim Duncan likes to hug the ball before tip-off, Coach Pop's love of wine, or Tony Parker's "rapping career."
But did you know these tid-bits about Duncan and DeJuan Blair?
Friend of Project Spurs, Humberto Cervera, of News 4 WOAI TV in San Antonio, recently wrote about Duncan's other pre-game ritual. Did you know he hangs on the back of the rim?
Everyone knows about Tim Duncan's pregame ritual of hugging the ball, but that's not the most interesting one he has on the court. Before the teams are announced the Spurs will turnout the lights in the arena and show a video on the Jumbotron. During that time, Tim will jump up and hang on the back of the rim facing the other side of the court. He swings there for a few seconds, and then gets back to the line for his name to be announced.
What about Blair? Talk about a workhorse. This is his PRE-GAME workout.
Dejuan Blair might be the hardest worker during these pregame sessions. No one steps off the court more out of breath or sweatier then ‘The Beast.’ Keep in mind this is a few hours prior to tip-off. It seems counterintuitive for someone to waste this kind of energy before the game, but it seems to work. You can see the development of his offensive game through these small workouts.
Spurs nation just got more knowledgeable about their beloved team. Also, don't forget to hear Humberto's guest appearance on the Spurscast where he spoke about Ian Mahinmi's "work ethic" and other great inside information about the Spurs.
Check out Humbie's blog to read the complete article.
Michael and Jeff got together immediately following last night's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
We broke down each quarter and analyzed each quarter's stats, gave out the box score, noted some of the negatives on an otherwise positive night. We also took questions from chat and your calls, gave out shiny and rusty spur award winners, took a look at the upcoming schedule and made fun of my love for string cheese.
Not only did the Spurs snap their two-game losing streak and pick up the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, Manu Ginobili had an impressive game.
He was getting it done on the offensive end with 26 points, and he also had this little gem on the defensive end on the Thunder's Kevin Durant.
And the Spurs do not want to resign him?
As Charles Barkley would yell, GINNNNNOOOOBBBBIIIIILLIIII!
Come back this afternoon for a full game recap on the next episode of the Spurscast.
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According to James Munoz of KENS 5 in San Antonio, former Spurs great 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 