timvp
11-21-2008, 08:47 AM
The Denver Nuggets came into San Antonio on Wednesday night and handed the Spurs a 91-81 loss. The game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates, as the Nuggets led by double-digits the entire second half. With the loss, the three-game winning streak for the Spurs was snapped and they fell a game under .500.
San Antonio lost the game during a stretch in the second quarter when their offense vanished. In that nine minute stretch, the Spurs only hit two field goals. By the time the offense awoke, the team was down 11 points and that hill proved too difficult to climb on this night.
As far as the Nuggets are concerned, I thought they looked greatly improved. Following the Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups trade, the Nuggets play much smarter offensively and with more focus on defense. This version of the Nuggets has a chance to actually make some noise in the playoffs if Carmelo Anthony can completely blossom into a superstar and Nene can stay on the court.
While a loss is never good, this defeat wasn’t too demoralizing for the Spurs. They played hard and stuck to their game plan on both ends of the court. The Spurs just ran into a more talented team playing really good basketball.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
30 minutes, 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists
4-for-13 from the field, 4-for-7 at the line
Tim Duncan has been carrying the load for the Spurs recently but he had a rare sub par outing on Wednesday night. The effort from Duncan was there but the Nuggets were able to frustrate him by having Nene and Kenyon Martin be physical with him in the post and then sending tons of help. Duncan did his best to find the open man and score when he had the opportunity – he just wasn’t clicking on all cylinders. My main criticism for Duncan on the night was his poor body language. He oftentimes outwardly got frustrated with his teammates, which wasn’t helping matters. All it did was make everyone else even more tentative and passive on the offensive end.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
25 minutes, eight points, four turnovers
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
It’s safe to say that Roger Mason, Jr. had his worst game in the silver and black. His shooting wasn’t horrible but he wasn’t helping in any facet of the game. His four turnovers were also a detriment. Even though it was a poor outing, Spurs fans have to be ecstatic about how he’s played so far this season. Not only is he a capable shooter but he can help the team in a lot of other areas. Once the team is healthy and other teams can’t key in on him, Mason will become even more of a weapon.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
29 minutes, 13 points, two rebounds, two steals
5-for-11 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 3-for-4 at the line
I thought Michael Finley played outstanding against the Nuggets. Defensively, this might have been his best game as a Spur. He had the unenviable task of trying to guard Carmelo but did a very fine job against him. In the last couple of games, his defense has been a night and day improvement over last season. Offensively, Finley was again productive. He had all 13 of his points in the first half, which helped keep the game competitive. Finley is playing at a high level right now, with his defense leading the way, surprisingly enough.
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George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
29 minutes, 20 points, two steals, three turnovers
6-for-11 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 8-for-8 at the line
George Hill’s statistics look good but they don’t tell much of the story. Most of his points came when the game was already decided and the Nuggets were just going through the motions. When the game was in doubt, Hill had difficulty running the show. His decisions were inconsistent and his pace was too slow. Defensively he wasn’t much better as Billups was able to pick apart the Spurs. He still looks like a quality prospect but he’s going through some growing pains right now.
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Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
15 minutes, two points, three rebounds
1-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto got another start and once again had minimal impact. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Pop allows Oberto to start considering how little he’s contributing. Oberto is last on the team in points per minute – averaging just 5.3 points per 48 minutes. Even more worrisome is his rebounding. He’s currently grabbing less defensive rebounds per minute than George Hill, Ime Udoka and Bruce Bowen. Yes, less than Bruce Bowen. Oberto needs to step it up on the glass or else Pop might be forced to look elsewhere.
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Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, eight points, eight rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner had another relatively good game. Nene overwhelmed him a couple times with his brute strength and Bonner didn’t make perfect decisions offensively, but overall it’s hard to be disappointed with his production. Rebounding alone is making Bonner valuable at the moment considering he’s grabbing the second most rebounds per minute on the team. A good sign against the Nuggets was that following a Pop verbal thrashing on the sidelines, Bonner went back into the game and played better instead of losing his confidence and going into the fetal position.
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Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
22 minutes, four points, three rebounds
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers
The slump continues for Ime Udoka. After being elevated to the starting small forward gig, Udoka has responded by missing just about every shot he’s taken. While he once again couldn’t hit the broad side of the AT&T Barn, at least he was more active defensive and corralled a few rebounds. However, until he regains some semblance of an offensive game, Udoka’s value on the court is going to be limited.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
19 minutes, three points, two steals
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Defensively, Bruce Bowen played well. Offensively, not so much. Considering the defense hasn’t always been there this season, it was good to see him in full on harassment mode on Wednesday night. He defended both Carmelo and Billups well, showing very good energy and effort levels. Offensively, Bowen had his worst shooting game of the season and was too overanxious to get his shoot off at times.
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Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
19 minutes, six points
3-for-8 from the field
After a pair of quality performances, Jacque Vaughn came crashing back down to earth against Denver. His crisp passing wasn’t on display. Instead, Vaughn opted to try to shoot the Spurs to victory. That likely wasn’t the right idea, especially for a sub-30% shooter. Defensively, Vaughn was hard to watch. He was helpless against Billups, who dominated Vaughn with his advantages in size, strength and quickness.
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Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
12 minutes, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field
This was another in a long line of blah performances by Kurt Thomas. His defense was decent but he didn’t even get off a shot and his two rebounds in 12 minutes weren’t very helpful. Thomas looks a step slow in just about every aspect of the game. Once Ginobili and Parker return he may be able to be more productive, at least offensively, but Thomas hasn’t given Spurs fans much reason to be hopeful that he’ll be able to turn back the clock.
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Anthony Tolliver
http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/img/NBA/Headshots/140x170/4371.jpg
eight minutes, three points, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Anthony Tolliver’s time on the court consisted of hoisting three-pointers, hustling and grabbing a pair of caroms off the glass. He didn’t play until garbage time in the fourth quarter and didn’t do anything noteworthy enough to win himself minutes in forthcoming games.
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Blake Ahearn
http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/4/44070m.JPG
six minutes, two assists
0-for-1 from the field
Blake Ahearn, like Tolliver, didn’t get onto the court until most AT&T Center attendees were heading to the exits. Compared to his first game with the Spurs, Ahearn actually looked like he had a clue what was happening on both ends of the court. Amazing what a practice can do.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Most losses, you can point to a few Pop mistakes and play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game. Against the Nuggets, there wasn’t anything Pop was going to do to win the game from the sidelines. With Duncan and Mason struggling and the team missing its outside shots, hope was lost. I do like that Pop didn’t put Duncan back into the game in the fourth and instead got him some much needed rest. I think Pop needs to take a look at Oberto’s production and start weighing whether he’s worthy of a starting spot at this point.
-------------------------------
Offense
The good news is that the Spurs were able to get to the line 28 times, which was an accomplishment considering that San Antonio had gone to the line a total of 37 times in the previous three contests. But other than the free throws attempted stat, nothing else was positive offensively on Wednesday night. The team shot just 38.7% from the field and 2-for-17 at the three-point line. Their 20 assists to 15 turnovers wasn’t a ratio to write home about. Basically put, with Duncan and Mason struggling offensively, the offense was doomed.
Defense
The stats might not confirm it but I thought the Spurs played well defensively. They forced 20 turnovers, contested most every shot and made the Nuggets work to score. The only aspect of their defense that was poor was their transition defense. Hill and Mason specifically weren’t doing a good job of getting back and stopping Denver from running. Rebounding wise, the Spurs did better than usual – giving up only six offensive rebounds.
Drive to Survive
On Friday, the Spurs take on the always tough Utah Jazz. Like the Nuggets game, this one is going to be extremely difficult to win. The Spurs will need to play near perfect basketball to get the victory. With reports that the their two-man cavalry may be back sooner than later, hopefully the team can use the light at the end of the tunnel to help pick up at least a few more shorthanded W’s.
Believe.
San Antonio lost the game during a stretch in the second quarter when their offense vanished. In that nine minute stretch, the Spurs only hit two field goals. By the time the offense awoke, the team was down 11 points and that hill proved too difficult to climb on this night.
As far as the Nuggets are concerned, I thought they looked greatly improved. Following the Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups trade, the Nuggets play much smarter offensively and with more focus on defense. This version of the Nuggets has a chance to actually make some noise in the playoffs if Carmelo Anthony can completely blossom into a superstar and Nene can stay on the court.
While a loss is never good, this defeat wasn’t too demoralizing for the Spurs. They played hard and stuck to their game plan on both ends of the court. The Spurs just ran into a more talented team playing really good basketball.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
30 minutes, 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists
4-for-13 from the field, 4-for-7 at the line
Tim Duncan has been carrying the load for the Spurs recently but he had a rare sub par outing on Wednesday night. The effort from Duncan was there but the Nuggets were able to frustrate him by having Nene and Kenyon Martin be physical with him in the post and then sending tons of help. Duncan did his best to find the open man and score when he had the opportunity – he just wasn’t clicking on all cylinders. My main criticism for Duncan on the night was his poor body language. He oftentimes outwardly got frustrated with his teammates, which wasn’t helping matters. All it did was make everyone else even more tentative and passive on the offensive end.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
25 minutes, eight points, four turnovers
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
It’s safe to say that Roger Mason, Jr. had his worst game in the silver and black. His shooting wasn’t horrible but he wasn’t helping in any facet of the game. His four turnovers were also a detriment. Even though it was a poor outing, Spurs fans have to be ecstatic about how he’s played so far this season. Not only is he a capable shooter but he can help the team in a lot of other areas. Once the team is healthy and other teams can’t key in on him, Mason will become even more of a weapon.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
29 minutes, 13 points, two rebounds, two steals
5-for-11 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 3-for-4 at the line
I thought Michael Finley played outstanding against the Nuggets. Defensively, this might have been his best game as a Spur. He had the unenviable task of trying to guard Carmelo but did a very fine job against him. In the last couple of games, his defense has been a night and day improvement over last season. Offensively, Finley was again productive. He had all 13 of his points in the first half, which helped keep the game competitive. Finley is playing at a high level right now, with his defense leading the way, surprisingly enough.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
29 minutes, 20 points, two steals, three turnovers
6-for-11 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 8-for-8 at the line
George Hill’s statistics look good but they don’t tell much of the story. Most of his points came when the game was already decided and the Nuggets were just going through the motions. When the game was in doubt, Hill had difficulty running the show. His decisions were inconsistent and his pace was too slow. Defensively he wasn’t much better as Billups was able to pick apart the Spurs. He still looks like a quality prospect but he’s going through some growing pains right now.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
15 minutes, two points, three rebounds
1-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto got another start and once again had minimal impact. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Pop allows Oberto to start considering how little he’s contributing. Oberto is last on the team in points per minute – averaging just 5.3 points per 48 minutes. Even more worrisome is his rebounding. He’s currently grabbing less defensive rebounds per minute than George Hill, Ime Udoka and Bruce Bowen. Yes, less than Bruce Bowen. Oberto needs to step it up on the glass or else Pop might be forced to look elsewhere.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, eight points, eight rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner had another relatively good game. Nene overwhelmed him a couple times with his brute strength and Bonner didn’t make perfect decisions offensively, but overall it’s hard to be disappointed with his production. Rebounding alone is making Bonner valuable at the moment considering he’s grabbing the second most rebounds per minute on the team. A good sign against the Nuggets was that following a Pop verbal thrashing on the sidelines, Bonner went back into the game and played better instead of losing his confidence and going into the fetal position.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
22 minutes, four points, three rebounds
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers
The slump continues for Ime Udoka. After being elevated to the starting small forward gig, Udoka has responded by missing just about every shot he’s taken. While he once again couldn’t hit the broad side of the AT&T Barn, at least he was more active defensive and corralled a few rebounds. However, until he regains some semblance of an offensive game, Udoka’s value on the court is going to be limited.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
19 minutes, three points, two steals
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Defensively, Bruce Bowen played well. Offensively, not so much. Considering the defense hasn’t always been there this season, it was good to see him in full on harassment mode on Wednesday night. He defended both Carmelo and Billups well, showing very good energy and effort levels. Offensively, Bowen had his worst shooting game of the season and was too overanxious to get his shoot off at times.
-------------------------------
Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
19 minutes, six points
3-for-8 from the field
After a pair of quality performances, Jacque Vaughn came crashing back down to earth against Denver. His crisp passing wasn’t on display. Instead, Vaughn opted to try to shoot the Spurs to victory. That likely wasn’t the right idea, especially for a sub-30% shooter. Defensively, Vaughn was hard to watch. He was helpless against Billups, who dominated Vaughn with his advantages in size, strength and quickness.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
12 minutes, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field
This was another in a long line of blah performances by Kurt Thomas. His defense was decent but he didn’t even get off a shot and his two rebounds in 12 minutes weren’t very helpful. Thomas looks a step slow in just about every aspect of the game. Once Ginobili and Parker return he may be able to be more productive, at least offensively, but Thomas hasn’t given Spurs fans much reason to be hopeful that he’ll be able to turn back the clock.
-------------------------------
Anthony Tolliver
http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/img/NBA/Headshots/140x170/4371.jpg
eight minutes, three points, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Anthony Tolliver’s time on the court consisted of hoisting three-pointers, hustling and grabbing a pair of caroms off the glass. He didn’t play until garbage time in the fourth quarter and didn’t do anything noteworthy enough to win himself minutes in forthcoming games.
-------------------------------
Blake Ahearn
http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/4/44070m.JPG
six minutes, two assists
0-for-1 from the field
Blake Ahearn, like Tolliver, didn’t get onto the court until most AT&T Center attendees were heading to the exits. Compared to his first game with the Spurs, Ahearn actually looked like he had a clue what was happening on both ends of the court. Amazing what a practice can do.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Most losses, you can point to a few Pop mistakes and play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game. Against the Nuggets, there wasn’t anything Pop was going to do to win the game from the sidelines. With Duncan and Mason struggling and the team missing its outside shots, hope was lost. I do like that Pop didn’t put Duncan back into the game in the fourth and instead got him some much needed rest. I think Pop needs to take a look at Oberto’s production and start weighing whether he’s worthy of a starting spot at this point.
-------------------------------
Offense
The good news is that the Spurs were able to get to the line 28 times, which was an accomplishment considering that San Antonio had gone to the line a total of 37 times in the previous three contests. But other than the free throws attempted stat, nothing else was positive offensively on Wednesday night. The team shot just 38.7% from the field and 2-for-17 at the three-point line. Their 20 assists to 15 turnovers wasn’t a ratio to write home about. Basically put, with Duncan and Mason struggling offensively, the offense was doomed.
Defense
The stats might not confirm it but I thought the Spurs played well defensively. They forced 20 turnovers, contested most every shot and made the Nuggets work to score. The only aspect of their defense that was poor was their transition defense. Hill and Mason specifically weren’t doing a good job of getting back and stopping Denver from running. Rebounding wise, the Spurs did better than usual – giving up only six offensive rebounds.
Drive to Survive
On Friday, the Spurs take on the always tough Utah Jazz. Like the Nuggets game, this one is going to be extremely difficult to win. The Spurs will need to play near perfect basketball to get the victory. With reports that the their two-man cavalry may be back sooner than later, hopefully the team can use the light at the end of the tunnel to help pick up at least a few more shorthanded W’s.
Believe.