Dex
12-05-2008, 11:00 AM
At full strength, San Antonio blows by Denver (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/04/beefed--spurs-pound-nuggets/)
By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
Published December 4, 2008 at 11 p.m.
This definitely was not Spurs Lite.
Two weeks ago, the Nuggets walloped a watered-down San Antonio outfit that was without guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
But Ginobili and Parker are back, and they showed the Nuggets on Thursday night that the Spurs still are an NBA force, routing Denver 108-91 at the Pepsi Center.
Parker led the Spurs with 22 points, and Ginobili and forward Tim Duncan each scored 21. Duncan also grabbed 12 rebounds, handed out seven assists and blocked five shots.
"You had a very angry team, and we're a happy team," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We probably didn't meet the competitive nature of the game until the second half."
Karl said the Nuggets (13-7) were too happy because of their recent hot play, because they walloped Toronto 132-93 on Tuesday and because they won 91-81 at San Antonio on Nov. 19. That's the game that made the Spurs angry.
"Our scouts were very worried about this game, psychologically," Karl said. "We tried to present it to the team (Thursday) morning. I think they listened, but I don't think they really listened."
The Nuggets got 16 points from forward Carmelo Anthony and 15 from guard J.R. Smith.
The Spurs were hot all night from the perimeter. They finished 9-of-26 on three-pointers, which isn't all that great. But they made a number of other jumpers and shot 50 percent overall.
The game was all but over when the Spurs (10-8) shot 55.8 percent in the first half to take a 61-41 lead. The Nuggets shot 39 percent.
The Nuggets never got closer than 13 points in the second half, as their record dropped to 12-4 since guard Chauncey Billups first suited up after being acquired Nov. 3 from Detroit. Billups struggled, shooting only 5-of-13 for 12 points.
"That was an ugly game," Billups said. "Games like that, you've got to wash them off in the shower and forget about them as soon as possible and worry about your next opponent. You've got to give them credit because they really did, they picked us apart.
"They just outplayed us all over the place."
It was Denver's worst loss of the season. The previous worst was a 104-94 setback Nov. 22 on the road against the Lakers.
"It was one of them nights," Anthony said. "You have them in an 82-game season. We're still in good place right now. Actually, we're in a great place."
But Anthony's health isn't. Anthony, who had seven turnovers, continues to be bothered by a right elbow contusion.
"I don't want to keep blaming it on that," said Anthony, who doesn't know if the elbow will bother him the rest of the season. "I'm still going out there playing. I don't want to keep blaming it on my elbow. I know it's messed up."
Ginobili played in his sixth game after missing the first 12 because of ankle surgery. Parker played in his fourth after missing nine because of a sprained ankle.
The Spurs led by as many as 24 points. Karl didn't use forward Kenyon Martin in the fourth quarter.
"I just thought we had to play small with them," Karl said. "That was my choice."
Words Karl used in describing the Nuggets were "arrogance," "cockiness" and "contentment."
But he admits some of that has been earned by their recent fine play.
The Spurs broke open the game in the second quarter by outscoring the Nuggets 31-15 for the 61-41 halftime lead.
One of the few bright spots in the first half for the Nuggets was forward Chris Andersen, who had been 0-of-10, hitting his first career three-pointer in his seventh season.
In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets got to 88-74 before the Spurs went on a 9-0 run to go up 97-74.
The Nuggets closed to 99-86 in the waning moments, but it was too late to mount a serious comeback.
The Nuggets were outrebounded 47-33. But Smith did grab 10 rebounds.
ETC.: Karl and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked before the game about Popovich, who owns an Oregon winery, having not given him any recent bottles of wine, which he once did before games. "The last time I sent you one, you said it was water," Popovich said to Karl. " 'You need something stronger. That's what you told me.' " . . . The Spurs were without forward Kurt Thomas, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl, and forward Ime Udoka, not with the team due to the flu.
By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
Published December 4, 2008 at 11 p.m.
This definitely was not Spurs Lite.
Two weeks ago, the Nuggets walloped a watered-down San Antonio outfit that was without guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
But Ginobili and Parker are back, and they showed the Nuggets on Thursday night that the Spurs still are an NBA force, routing Denver 108-91 at the Pepsi Center.
Parker led the Spurs with 22 points, and Ginobili and forward Tim Duncan each scored 21. Duncan also grabbed 12 rebounds, handed out seven assists and blocked five shots.
"You had a very angry team, and we're a happy team," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We probably didn't meet the competitive nature of the game until the second half."
Karl said the Nuggets (13-7) were too happy because of their recent hot play, because they walloped Toronto 132-93 on Tuesday and because they won 91-81 at San Antonio on Nov. 19. That's the game that made the Spurs angry.
"Our scouts were very worried about this game, psychologically," Karl said. "We tried to present it to the team (Thursday) morning. I think they listened, but I don't think they really listened."
The Nuggets got 16 points from forward Carmelo Anthony and 15 from guard J.R. Smith.
The Spurs were hot all night from the perimeter. They finished 9-of-26 on three-pointers, which isn't all that great. But they made a number of other jumpers and shot 50 percent overall.
The game was all but over when the Spurs (10-8) shot 55.8 percent in the first half to take a 61-41 lead. The Nuggets shot 39 percent.
The Nuggets never got closer than 13 points in the second half, as their record dropped to 12-4 since guard Chauncey Billups first suited up after being acquired Nov. 3 from Detroit. Billups struggled, shooting only 5-of-13 for 12 points.
"That was an ugly game," Billups said. "Games like that, you've got to wash them off in the shower and forget about them as soon as possible and worry about your next opponent. You've got to give them credit because they really did, they picked us apart.
"They just outplayed us all over the place."
It was Denver's worst loss of the season. The previous worst was a 104-94 setback Nov. 22 on the road against the Lakers.
"It was one of them nights," Anthony said. "You have them in an 82-game season. We're still in good place right now. Actually, we're in a great place."
But Anthony's health isn't. Anthony, who had seven turnovers, continues to be bothered by a right elbow contusion.
"I don't want to keep blaming it on that," said Anthony, who doesn't know if the elbow will bother him the rest of the season. "I'm still going out there playing. I don't want to keep blaming it on my elbow. I know it's messed up."
Ginobili played in his sixth game after missing the first 12 because of ankle surgery. Parker played in his fourth after missing nine because of a sprained ankle.
The Spurs led by as many as 24 points. Karl didn't use forward Kenyon Martin in the fourth quarter.
"I just thought we had to play small with them," Karl said. "That was my choice."
Words Karl used in describing the Nuggets were "arrogance," "cockiness" and "contentment."
But he admits some of that has been earned by their recent fine play.
The Spurs broke open the game in the second quarter by outscoring the Nuggets 31-15 for the 61-41 halftime lead.
One of the few bright spots in the first half for the Nuggets was forward Chris Andersen, who had been 0-of-10, hitting his first career three-pointer in his seventh season.
In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets got to 88-74 before the Spurs went on a 9-0 run to go up 97-74.
The Nuggets closed to 99-86 in the waning moments, but it was too late to mount a serious comeback.
The Nuggets were outrebounded 47-33. But Smith did grab 10 rebounds.
ETC.: Karl and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked before the game about Popovich, who owns an Oregon winery, having not given him any recent bottles of wine, which he once did before games. "The last time I sent you one, you said it was water," Popovich said to Karl. " 'You need something stronger. That's what you told me.' " . . . The Spurs were without forward Kurt Thomas, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl, and forward Ime Udoka, not with the team due to the flu.