Spurs vs. Jazz Previews

[duncan228]

Injury-riddled Utah Jazz travel to San Antonio (http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264607,00.html)
By Jody Genessy
Deseret News

The Utah Jazz will indeed travel to San Antonio for Friday night's game, that much is known.

Who exactly will play for the injury-riddled Jazz is another question.

Seven different Jazz players are dealing with various injuries — not counting run-of-the-mill nicks and dings — heading into the team's two-game road trip this weekend.

All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer's status remains up in the air. Boozer did not practice today — which happens to be his 27th birthday — and is undergoing an MRI to determine the severity of his strained left quadriceps, a team spokesman said. Boozer injured his leg and left the game with four minutes remaining in Utah's 105-94 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Kyle Korver was also not planning on practicing today because of his inflamed right wrist. The backup shooting guard will travel with the team and will be a game-time decision Friday.

Point guards Deron Williams (sprained left ankle) and Brevin Knight (groin) both participated in practice today but will also be game-time decisions against the Spurs.

On the other hand, Jarron Collins (inflamed right elbow) did not practice with the team today and will not play in San Antonio.

On the bright side for the Jazz, center Mehmet Okur said he is improving after tweaking his lower back on a return flight from Turkey on Sunday. After starting against the Bucks — but only scoring one point with five rebounds in 20 minutes — he showed up to practice early this morning to work on his conditioning and shooting.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said he will consider reinserting forward Andrei Kirilenko back into the starting lineup Friday, depending on who else is available to play.

Sloan expects whoever can suit up to play hard on the road trip as the 8-4 Jazz try to get a rare win in San Antonio and improve their 2-4 road record. If he's rattled by all the injuries, he's not showing it.

"We're still going to play," Sloan said. "It's just the way it is. It's not something that you can do anything about. There isn't anybody out there that wants to be hurt. They just have to try to take care of themselves and get healthy, that's all."

[xtremesteven33]

reminds me of that song...

"Everybody hurts"

[hater]

damn Kirilenko was injured again??

I swear that dude is made of glass

[honestfool84]

ooh la la.
hopefully the spurs can eek a win out of this injury-ridden team.

[duncan228]

Utah (8-4) at San Antonio (5-6) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2008112124&prov=ap)
Game info: 20:30 EST Fri Nov 21, 2008 TV: FSUT
By Justin Einhorn

Injuries to key players continue to plague the Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs.

If the Jazz keep dealing with poor health better than the Spurs have, they could be headed for their first win in San Antonio this decade when the teams meet Friday night.

Including three games there in the 2007 Western Conference finals, Utah (8-4) has lost 21 in a row at San Antonio (5-6) since Feb. 28, 1999. During that skid, the Jazz have not scored more than 100 points and only two of the games were decided by fewer than six points - the Spurs’ average margin of victory has been 15.3.

San Antonio is 2-4 at home this season - the team was 34-7 in 2007-08 - and its overall record is under .500 this late in a season for the first time since being 6-8 in 1999.

The poor start could be blamed on injuries to All-Stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, two of their top three scorers from last season. Parker hasn’t played in two weeks due to a sprained ankle and is not expected to return until next month, as is the case for Ginobili, who’s recovering from offseason ankle surgery.

An ankle injury also has sidelined Deron Williams, who averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 assists last season, and he’s missed all but two of Utah’s games but is on the verge of returning. It’s unlikely, though, that he will be available Friday.

The same could be said for star forward Carlos Boozer, who strained his left quadriceps Wednesday in a 104-94 win over Milwaukee.

“It’s good to keep winning, but we need to stop losing people. We won, but if we keep losing people that’s not good,” said Andrei Kirilenko, who missed two games last week with a sprained finger.

Kirilenko could see more time at point guard Friday if Williams remains sidelined and backup Brevin Knight misses a second straight game due to a strained groin. Utah led by as many as 16 when the 6-foot-9 forward was at the point Wednesday, and he finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, four blocks and three assists.

C.J. Miles will be counted on again if Boozer is out. The fourth-year swingman had a season-high 25 points Wednesday, scoring in double figures for the fourth time in five games after failing to do so through the season’s first seven games.

The Spurs offense will continue to go through Tim Duncan, though Utah might employ similar defensive tactics as Denver did Wednesday in a 91-81 win over the Spurs. Duncan was held to a season-low 12 points and attempted a season-low 13 shots from the field, making only four.

His teammates didn’t provide much help. San Antonio, which had a three-game win streak snapped, went 2-of-17 from 3-point range and shot 38.7 percent from the field.

“A lot of people go to try and take Tim out of his game, and Tim’s going to adjust to that. We have to adjust to that,” said Spurs guard George Hill, starting in place of Parker. “I think it’s a learning point. We go watch film and see how we can react to that when it happens again, and next time it happens to go out there and be successful at it.”

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Carlos Boozer Uta 20.5
Tony Parker SA 27.4

Rebounds

Carlos Boozer Uta 11.7
Tim Duncan SA 10.3

Assists

Deron Williams Uta 8.0
Tony Parker SA 5.8

Notes:

Jazz:

Utah had 11 steals on the night compared to just one for Milwaukee. The Jazz also outblocked the Bucks, 10-2. ... The Jazz have won eight straight games against the Bucks and 11 of the last 13 meetings. ... The Jazz are now 6-0 at home on the season and have a 14-game winning streak at EnergySolutions Arena during the regular season. The Jazz are now 33-1 at home since December 31, 2007. ... Between the third and fourth quarters, the Jazz's mascot, The Bear, held up signs with the logos of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah to rile up the crowd. The two rival universities play one another in a highly anticipated football game on Saturday and the signs drew a smattering of cheers and boos from both fan bases.

Spurs:

The Spurs trailed by as many as 21 before making the final score respectable by outscoring the Nuggets, 27-16, in the fourth quarter. ... San Antonio scored 20 points off of 20 Denver turnovers. ... G George Hill scored 20 points to lead the Spurs. ... The Spurs outscored the Nuggets on the fast break, 17-8.

[planaria]

I hope you beat them! :toast

[crc21209]

Boozer is out next 2 games at the least. So no Boozer, no DWill

[SenorSpur]

Sure hope D-Will isn't playing.

[Spur-Addict]

Sure hope D-Will isn't playing.

:toast Seriously.

Any help we can get right now would be paramount.

[tp2021]

Last year, the big league-wide story was the West being insane.
So far this year, it has been the prevalence of injuries.

[duncan228]

The MRI is back.

Jazz F Boozer out with quad injury (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txjazzboozer&prov=st&type=lgns)

[tp2021]

Enigma, quick! Start the thread!

[crc21209]

So NO Boozer, NO Williams, NO EXCUSE! This team can get a done against Utah without those 2. No one can contain Tim in the post as well as Boozer. Okur sucks, Tim owns him so we should be good 2 go.

[milkyway21]

So NO Boozer, NO Williams, NO EXCUSE! This team can get a done against Utah without those 2. No one can contain Tim in the post as well as Boozer. Okur sucks, Tim owns him so we should be good 2 go.
there's no need to give 35+ minutes to Duncan if Boozer, DWill & K47 are out. Oberto might be a good option to log-in more minutes, he had a good record against the Jazz in the playoffs before. I just hope he's 100% ok right now.

it will be live here, please WIN:flag:

[m33p0]

Spurs should win this one. :flag:

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

smash the jazz!! :toast

[Manufan909]

I'm going to Red Robin tomo, they better fucking win it. And I 2nd Oberto getting 25+ minutes, along with Bonner, and maybe even Toll. Play Duncan 25-30, and just feed him every possession. No one will stop him tomo.

[mrspurs]

With all the injuries on both squads. This is easily a Pop vs Sloan (system) game. Gotta figure with the Spurs being at home, they should win.

[duncan228]

Friday: Spurs (5-6) vs. Jazz (8-4) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Friday_Spurs_5-6_vs_Jazz_8-4.html)
Express-News
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: KMYS
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - JAZZ

PG - 3 George Hill (6-1, 1st yr) - 17 Ronnie Price (6-2, 4th yr)
Rookie Hill averaged 18.5 points in past two home games.

SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 9 Ronnie Brewer (6-7, 3rd yr)
Mason shooting 50.8 percent on road, 37.9 percent at home.

SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 34 C.J. Miles (6-6, 4th yr)
With lineup in flux, ex UT recruit Miles showcasing his skills.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 5 Carlos Boozer (6-9, 7th yr)
Duncan coming off 12-point outing vs. Nuggets, worst of season

C - 7 Fabricio Oberto (6-10, 4th yr) - 13 Mehmet Okur (6-11, 7th yr)
Okur back in lineup after dealing with family emergency in native Turkey.

SPURS RESERVES

18 Blake Ahearn, G, 6-2, 2nd yr
15 Matt Bonner, F, 6-10, 5th yr
12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
35 Anthony Tolliver, C, 6-8, 1st yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr

JAZZ RESERVES

22 Morris Almond, G/F, 6-6, 2nd yr
44 Kyrylo Fesenko, C, 7-1, 2nd yr
15 Matt Harpring, F, 6-7, 11th yr
47 Andrei Kirilenko, F, 6-9, 8th yr
41 Kosta Koufos, C, 7-0, 1st yr
26 Kyle Korver, G/F, 6-7, 6th yr
24 Paul Millsap, F, 6-8, 3rd yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Jazz: Jerry Sloan

INJURIES

Spurs: Tony Parker (left ankle sprain) and Manu Ginobili (left ankle surgery) are out.

Jazz: Deron Williams (left ankle sprain) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, Ian Mahinmi.

Jazz: Williams, Brevin Knight, Jarron Collins.

NOTABLE

Sloan and Popovich rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the list of NBA’s most tenured coaches. Sloan has won 1,003 games in 20-plus seasons with Utah; Popovich has won 635 games in 12-plus seasons in San Antonio. ..... Sloan is the only coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one team.

- Jeff McDonald

[duncan228]

Utah Jazz: Winless streak in San Antonio at 18 (http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_11039720)
Utah last won in Alamo city during 1999 season shortened by lockout
By Steve Luhm
The Salt Lake Tribune

In 1999, John Elway and the Denver Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl, Texas Gov. George W. Bush announced his intention to run for president, the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 11,000 for the first time, a tornado smashed into downtown Salt Lake City, and the Utah Jazz won a basketball game in San Antonio.

It's hard to believe, but true.

The Jazz have lost 18 straight to the Spurs in Texas, going back to a 101-87 victory during the lockout-shortened season of 1999.

"I don't know if it's something in our heads or what's going on," said Utah's Ronnie Price. "But we need to fix it."

The Jazz's next chance comes tonight, when they visit San Antonio.

"Maybe the Spurs get ready for us more than we get ready for them," said Price. "Maybe we just haven't had any luck in that building. But we have an opportunity to change that streak."

Said C.J. Miles: "They're just a great home team, like we are. They are experienced, they run their sets, they have great players who play well in that system and they have Tim Duncan down there, too."

According to coach Jerry Sloan, the Spurs ". . . have been good - better than us, to make a long story short. They have a great player in Duncan; we've never had an answer for him since he's been in the league. And [Tony] Parker has been as good as anybody we've played at that position. And, of course, they brought in [Manu] Ginobili."

Neither Parker nor Ginobili will play in this game because of injuries, but Sloan knows the Spurs won't back down.

"They expect to win," he said. "You watch a lot of teams play and they aren't quite sure whether they want to win or not. they know they've got to win. That's why they defend and execute their stuff. That's why they don't defend you once in awhile. They defend you every time you come down the floor."

[B]Getting his shot

Miles scored 21 points in Monday's 109-97 win over Phoenix and 25 points in Wednesday's 105-94 victory over Milwaukee.
"It's confidence," he said. "I just play hard, try to make plays and get involved in the game as much as I can. . . . The last few games, I've been able to get some open looks and knock them down. So I'll try to keep it going."
Playing later in the game than usual, Miles buried a three-pointer with 2:35 left to help clinch the win over the Bucks.
"Oh yeah, it's fun," he said. "The last few minutes of the fourth quarter is the best part of the game, I think."

A rusty Okur

Jazz center Memo Okur missed over a week after traveling to Turkey to visit his critically ill father and suffering back spasms upon his return to Utah.
In his rusty comeback against Milwaukee, he played 20 minutes and finished with one point and five rebounds.
"I wasn't able to do anything - no basketball, no nothing - for eight [or] nine days," Okur said before Thursday's practice. "I'm doing OK now with my back, but it's tough to get back condition-wise.
"That's why I got here early this morning. I got my workout in before we started. I got my cardio stuff in. So we'll see. I will push myself every day and we'll go from there."

[duncan228]

Utah Jazz: Spurs/Jazz series hasn't exactly been competitive (http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264769,00.html)
By Tim Buckley
Deseret News

SAN ANTONIO — It's a meeting of epic proportion that could go either way, another installment in a series with a history of amazing happenstances — but perhaps never any more at stake than now.

Oh, sorry.

Wrong rivalry.

The Jazz and San Antonio Spurs have been something of a lopsided matchup in recent years, especially with Utah having lost 17 in a row during the regular season here — including a 0-10 record at AT&T Center, where tonight the two face off for the first time this season.

And make that 20 straight losses here when including the playoffs, 0-13 overall at AT&T.

San Antonio, in fact, has held Utah to fewer than 100 points in 37 consecutive regular-season games — a span dating to 1999.

So just what it is that has allowed the Spurs, who've taken 10 straight season series from the Jazz, to be so dominant over coach Jerry Sloan's club?

"I don't know. I wish I did," said point guard Deron Williams, who'll be a game-time decision tonight because of the sprained left ankle that's caused him to miss all but two of the 8-4 Jazz's games this season.

"It's just somewhere we struggle," Williams added. "A lot of teams have those places where they struggle. Maybe not so much as us at San Antonio, but it's just a place we haven't been able to win."

Backup small forward Paul Millsap offered a somewhat more specific assessment.
"You know, that's a tough environment — and they also have a good team," he said. "When we get down there we just freeze up. I don't know what it is.

"I guess it's the crowd getting into our heads or whatever," Millsap added. "But we're looking to turn that around."

Helping the cause in that regard has to be the fact San Antonio is expected to be without both starting point guard Tony Parker, who's been sidelined by a sprained left ankle, and sixth man Manu Ginobili, who's yet to play this season because of ankle surgery.

Yet that's mitigated because the Jazz have been enduring a rash of injuries, including not only Williams' sprain, but now also a quadriceps strain that has fellow 2008 Olympian and two-time All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer listed as doubtful for tonight.

Sloan — whose Jazz don't have a victory in this city since Feb. 28, 1999, when they won 101-87 — can only hope his team does what Millsap says it's seeking.

Moreover, though, he simply wants to reverse the Jazz's woes anywhere and everywhere on the road — where they're 2-4 this season, as opposed to 6-0 at EnergySolutions Arena, and where they were just 17-24 last season.

"When we're here," small forward C.J. Miles said after beating Milwaukee in Utah on Wednesday night, "we know the crowd's behind us, we're in our home. There's a comfort level when everybody's excited, everybody's pumped up. We've got to get the same way on the road. I mean, it's the same game — just different arena."

Or, as Sloan put it after the Jazz beat the Bucks, "Are we going to be energized (in San Antonio), or are we going to wait till we get back home to be energized?"
Even with Parker and Ginobili out, it seems they'll have to be here if they hope to snap the streak.

"They're good," Sloan said of the Spurs over the years. "They're better than we are, to make a long story short. They've got a great player in (Tim) Duncan. We've never had an answer for him since he's been in the league. Parker, he's been as good as anybody that we've played against at that position. And of course then (Ginobili).

"They've got a lot of guys around those guys (who) know they've got to win. ... And they know they're going to win," Sloan added. "They step out there on the floor, they go out to do one thing — and that's to win. And that's why they defend. They defend you, and they execute their stuff. They don't just defend once in a while; they defend you every time you come down the floor."

There really is, then, something about these Spurs.

And Sloan sure does like it, especially when his own club refuses, or is unable, to counter with the same.

"I think we go down there and probably don't execute," he said. "I don't think we're intimidated; I think we just don't execute as well.

"You can call it whatever you want, but you've got to go down there — or wherever you play — (and) you've got to put a big effort into it, and then you've got to believe you can win. If you go down there and have any doubts, you're not going to have a chance."

[rascal]

The spurs still have their best player, Duncan while the Jazz have lost their top 3 players. The spurs caught a big break with the timing of the Jazz injuries and should win this game.

[1Parker1]

Okur tweaked his back on a flight??

[duncan228]

Utah Jazz: Boozer, Korver, Collins all out for Spurs game (http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264923,00.html)
By Tim Buckley
Deseret News

SAN ANTONIO — Starting power forward Carlos Boozer, backup shooting guard Kyle Korver and reserve big man Jarron Collins all will not play when the Jazz visit the San Antonio Spurs tonight.

Reserve point guard Brevin Knight is expected to return after missing one game due to a groin strain, but usual starter Deron Williams continues to be listed as "doubtful" because of the sprained ankle he sustained in an Oct. 18 preseason game at Chicago.

Boozer is out because of the strained quadriceps muscle he sustained in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's win over Milwaukee. He's unlikely to play Saturday at Memphis as well.

With the two-time All-Star unavailable, rookie Kosta Koufos will return to the starting lineup, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said after today's morning shootaround.

Koufos had started four games last week in place of absent center Mehmet Okur, and Collins — who continues to be bothered by complications from his bruised right elbow— started in Okur's place for last Monday's victory over Phoenix.

Koufos will open at power forward tonight, but will be assigned to guard Spurs center Fabricio Oberto while Okur guards San Antonio All-Star power forward Tim Duncan.

"(Okur) usually guards (Duncan) anyway," Sloan said this morning. "Tries to. We've never had anybody guard him. That's why we've lost a hundred games against them.":smokin

The Jazz actually have lost 18 straight regular-season games in San Antonio, 21 including postseason play.

Starting 19-year-old Koufos allows both sixth man Andrei Kirilenko and backup power forward Paul Millsap to continue to come off the bench, Sloan added.

"I can't play Andrei 48 minutes — and I've got guys who (need to) get some minutes somewhere," Sloan said. "I think it's a great opportunity for a young kid to get a chance to play some, and realize what he's getting into in this business."

Meanwhile, Korver aggravated his sprained right shooting wrist in Wednesday's game.

He had a brace on the wrist this morning, and suggested the injury may be a bit worse than it was previously. But before deciding how to proceed with further treatment beyond what he's already getting, Korver will give it a few days to see how the wrist responds.

"I just fell on it again — fell backward, landed on it," he said.

[benefactor]

With Boozer out and DWill possibly playing at less than 100%, I like our chances in this game. Couple that with how bad Utah is on the road and we really have no excuses.

[gingerwave]

Another great report.

[duncan228]

Gameday: Spurs vs. Jazz (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/spursworld/2008/11/gameday_spurs_vs_jazz.html)

Two battered teams will hit the AT&T Center court tonight when the Spurs take on the Utah Jazz. Both teams should expect to be powers in the Western Conference this season yet both will play tonight with key players on the sidelines.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili remain out, though Ginobili might be back soon. See Jeff McDonald's blog on Ginobili (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/11/jeff_mcdonald_m_19.html)

The Spurs, despite their injuries and struggles, have won three of their last four overall and two of their last three home games.

The Jazz have won their last two games, including Wednesday's 105-94 home-court victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. But they also added to a list of injuries similar to what the Spurs have been facing.

Here's the latest on the Jazz, who are also beat up early this season.

Ross Siler, Salt Lake Tribune
For only the fourth time in the last four seasons, the Jazz likely will play without Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer as they look Friday night to end a 21-game road losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs.
http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_11042134

Tom Buckley, Deseret News
The Jazz and San Antonio Spurs have been something of a lopsided matchup in recent years, especially with Utah having lost 18 in a row during the regular season here - including a 0-11 record at AT&T Center, where tonight the two face off for the first time this season.
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264769,00.html

[timvp]

"They're good," Sloan said of the Spurs over the years. "They're better than we are, to make a long story short. They've got a great player in (Tim) Duncan. We've never had an answer for him since he's been in the league. Parker, he's been as good as anybody that we've played against at that position. And of course then (Ginobili).

"They've got a lot of guys around those guys (who) know they've got to win. ... And they know they're going to win," Sloan added. "They step out there on the floor, they go out to do one thing — and that's to win. And that's why they defend. They defend you, and they execute their stuff. They don't just defend once in a while; they defend you every time you come down the floor."That's noteworthy praise coming from one of the most respected men in the game :tu

[DPG21920]

Sloan never getting COTY is a shame in my book.

[balli]

I hope it's a good game and I hope nobody else gets hurt. Not sure if Brevin Knight is going to be out there or not. Helps us a lot if he is.

All things being equal, even with both Deron and Booze out, I'd expect Utah to compete if not win. We suck on the road, in SA in particular, but usually we get up for Western Conference road games. The road games we drop are usually to sub .500 squads that we get cocky and lazy with. We're also deeper and that helps us out in a game like this. Still, it is SA and I've seen the Jazz crawl out of there, licking their wounds, more times than I can remember... and that history has to factor into any prognostications about tonight's game. I remain slightly optimistic though. Jazz win by 5 in a nail biter.

[DPG21920]

Utah has played well considering the injuries they have had this year. It is impressive to see them play so far.

[balli]

Utah has played well considering the injuries they have had this year. It is impressive to see them play so far.

All I can say is that we're really, really lucky to have Millsap, CJ, Brewer and even Kosta Koufos all contributing. We'd be no place without our draft picks right now.