Spurs vs. Kings Previews

[duncan228]

Monday: Kings (7-21) at Spurs (16-10) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Monday_Kings_7-21_at_Spurs_16-10.html)
Express-News

Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - KINGS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 19 Beno Udrih (6-3, 5th yr)
Parker bounced back nicely vs. Raptors with near triple-double.

SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 32 Francisco Garcia (6-7, 4th yr)
With 16 points, four threes, Mason coming off best December game.

SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 15 John Salmons (6-6, 7th yr)
Kings leaning on Salmons for scoring with Kevin Martin perpetually out.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 31 Spencer Hawes (7-1, 2nd yr)
Duncan’s 20 points, late layup beat Kings in November meeting.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 52 Brad Miller (7-0, 11th yr)
Like rest of team, Bonner got his groove, confidence back vs. Toronto

SPURS RESERVES

12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 7th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
35 Anthony Tolliver, C, 6-8, 1st yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr

KINGS RESERVES

5 Bobby Brown, G, 6-2, 1st yr
20 Donte Green, F, 6-10, 1st yr
8 Quincy Douby, G, 6-3, 3rd yr
24 Bobby Jackson, G, 6-1, 12th yr
33 Mikki Moore, F/C, 7-0, 11th yr
34 Jason Thompson, F, 6-11, 1st yr
22 Shelden Williams, F/C, 6-9, 3rd yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Kings: Kenny Natt

INJURIES

Spurs: Fabricio Oberto (sore left foot) and Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle) are out.

Kings: Kevin Martin (sprained left ankle) and Kenny Thomas (strained back) are out. Udrih (left hamstring strain) is questionable.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Oberto, Mahinmi

Kings: Martin, Thomas

NOTABLE

Spurs have come a long way since 90-88 victory at Sacramento on Nov. 16. Including that game, they have won 13 of past 18. ..... Kings have lost 16 of past 19, part of a skid that led to the Dec. 15 ouster of coach Reggie Theus.

- Jeff McDonald

[tp2021]

No Kevin Martin is a good thing.

[duncan228]

Sacramento (7-21) at San Antonio (16-10) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2008122224&prov=ap)
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Mon Dec 22, 2008
TV Schedule Away: Comcast-CA Home: FSN-Southwest
By Mike Lipka

The San Antonio Spurs are again at full strength and appear to be moving back toward to the top of the Western Conference.

The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, keep sinking lower and lower.

San Antonio should be in good position to earn its fifth straight home win Monday, when the Kings will try to avoid coming up empty on their four-game road trip.

After playing much of the early season without injured guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the Spurs (16-10) have started to roll with both back in the lineup, winning six straight before losing at New Orleans and Orlando last week.

They bounced back Saturday night at home, hitting a franchise record-tying 16 3-pointers and beating Toronto 107-97 for their ninth win in 11 home games.

Parker, who missed nine November games with an ankle sprain, led the way with 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting along with 10 assists and eight rebounds. He shot 3-of-17 from the field in the previous game, a 90-78 loss to the Magic on Thursday.

“I knew tonight was going to be my night,” Parker said. “… I couldn’t wait to come back home and defend our court for a nice Christmas. We have two more games over the holiday, and hopefully we can take care of business and get some wins.”

After facing the Kings, San Antonio hosts Minnesota on Tuesday before a Christmas Day showdown at Phoenix.

While the Spurs are again playing stifling defense this season, ranking fourth in the NBA with 93.8 points allowed per game, they looked almost Suns-like on the offensive end Saturday. San Antonio shot 16-of-35 (45.7 percent) from 3-point range, with Michael Finley, Matt Bonner and Roger Mason each making four 3s and Ginobili going 3-of-5.

“Things are always easier when you make shots,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Very little has been easy this season for the Kings, who’ve lost 13 of 15 and continue to play without injured guard Kevin Martin. The team’s leading scorer with 23.7 points per game last season, Martin remains out with an ankle problem.

Sacramento (7-21) has dropped seven in a row on the road to fall to 2-12 away from Arco Arena. The team is 0-3 on its four-game trip, losing its most recent contest 99-90 to New Orleans on Saturday.

Guard John Salmons had 26 points and seven assists for Sacramento, but the Kings were dominated inside, with the Hornets holding a 48-28 edge in points in the paint.

“We weren’t getting the calls we thought we were supposed to get or what we would have liked, but that shouldn’t deter us from trying to take the ball to the basket and getting better shots and getting to the free-throw line,” coach Kenny Natt said. “It’s more our fault than anything that we weren’t as aggressive as I wanted us to be.”

The Kings are 1-3 under Natt since he took over for Reggie Theus, who was fired last week.

Natt will try to help Sacramento improve its fortunes against the Spurs. San Antonio has won 14 of the last 17 meetings and eight of nine at home.

The teams have met once this season, with the Spurs winning 90-88 at Arco on Nov. 16 behind a pair of Tim Duncan baskets in the final minute. Duncan has been especially successful over the years against the Kings, averaging 23.5 points and 13.3 rebounds - both above his career averages - in 42 games.

Notes

Kings:

G Kevin Martin missed his seventh straight game with a sore left ankle. He originally injured it on November 9 and missed 12 games before returning on December 2. However, he only lasted two contests before being sidelined by the ankle once again. ... G Beno Udrih, who has been running the point for most of the season, did not play on Saturday for the first time all season. He has been struggling and left Friday's game with a sore left hamstring. In Udrih's place, G Bobby Jackson got his third start of the year. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and five turnovers.

Spurs:

F-C Tim Duncan grabbed his 10,000 career rebound at New Orleans on December 17, becoming Western Conference Player of the Week for games played December 8-14. ... The Spurs are shooting 39.5 percent from the three and currently rank third in the league

Injuries

Sacramento

K. Martin Ankle
B. Udrih Calf

San Antonio

I. Mahinmi Ankle
F. Oberto Foot

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Kevin Martin Sac 20.8
Tim Duncan SA 20.7

Rebounds

Brad Miller Sac 7.6
Tim Duncan SA 10.6

Assists

Beno Udrih Sac 5.1
Tony Parker SA 6.5

Team Comparison

Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

Sacramento 7-21 5th Pacific / 13th West 97.4 105.9 Road 2-12 Lost 3 2-8

San Antonio 16-10 3rd Southwest / 6th West 96.5 93.8 Home 9-5 Won 1 7-3

[timtonymanu]

No Martin should help us. As long as the Kings dont pull a "Lakers upset" on us.

[duncan228]

Spurs Team Report (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsZwOZGkrGkupEzUCHLVHnGM0bYF?slug=teamre ports-2008-nba-sas&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report)

Getting Inside

The Spurs finally hit a rough patch. After seemingly putting it all together in the face of injuries and climbing to the top of the Southwest Division, San Antonio went through two of its worst offensive showings this season in consecutive losses at New Orleans and Orlando.

“We have been up and down,” Tim Duncan admitted before the Spurs rebounded with a win Saturday over Toronto. “We are getting healthy and getting our guys back. We went on a little roll there, and now we have lost two in a row. We just have to regroup. We know it is a long season, so we will keep playing through it.”

Before the win over the Raptors, the Spurs averaged just 80.5 points and shot 38 percent during the two-game skid.

“We are nowhere close to where we want to be,” Duncan said. “We will use all 82 games to hopefully get everything right and go into the playoffs feeling right.”

The Spurs are 16-10, trailing New Orleans and Houston by 1 1/2 games in the Southwest Division. San Antonio is currently sixth in the Western Conference.

Spurs 107, Raptors 97: Tony Parker had 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as San Antonio tied a franchise record with 16 3-pointers Saturday in beating Toronto at the AT&T Center.

Parker lit up the Raptors with 11-of-19 shooting to help the Spurs avoid their first three-game slide since starting the season 0-3. Tim Duncan scored 19 points, and Roger Mason had 16.

Michael Finley added 14 points. Spurs starters Matt Bonner, Finley and Mason made 12 of 21 from beyond the arc.

The Raptors have dropped five in row and are 2-10 in their last 12 games.

Notes, Quotes

• Bruce Bowen opened his Spurs career with 555 starts over eight seasons. Other than Tim Duncan, Bowen was the fixture in San Antonio’s lineup.

That changed last month. Looking for more youth and athleticism in the starting five, coach Gregg Popovich moved Bowen to the bench. The veteran stopper hasn’t complained.

“As a player and as a competitor, you want to be out there as much as you can,” Bowen said. “When things happen this way, you have to be able to roll with it. You deal with it in a way where you aren’t a distraction.”

• Four-time NBA scoring champ and former Spurs great George Gervin got an honor 36 years in the making. The Hall of Fame guard received an honorary bachelor of science degree from Eastern Michigan during halftime of the Eagles’ game against St. Bonaventure.

Gervin played just 39 games at his alma mater from 1970-72, but he averaged 21.8 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. He left school early for pro ball and became one of the greatest scorers in ABA/NBA history.

Quote To Note: “Tony orchestrated a wonderful game. It’s tough for a point guard between scoring and getting others involved. He made great decisions and spearheaded the win for us.”—Coach Gregg Popovich, on Tony Parker’s performance against Toronto.

Roster Report

Rotation:

Starters—Point guard Tony Parker, Shooting guard Roger Mason, Small forward Michael Finley, Power forward Tim Duncan, Center Matt Bonner.

Bench—Forward Kurt Thomas, Guard Manu Ginobili, Forward Ime Udoka, Forward Bruce Bowen, Center Fabricio Oberto, Center Ian Mahinmi, Guard George Hill.

Player Notes:

• F Kurt Thomas responded to the loss of Fabricio Oberto with one of his most effective games of the season. Thomas grabbed a season-high 12 boards and blocked three shots in the 107-97 victory over Toronto.

Thomas did a solid job defending Raptors big men Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh.

“That’s something I’ve been doing over the years,” Thomas said.

• G Tony Parker bounced back with a near triple-double against Toronto after one of his poorest performances this season.

“Couldn’t be worse,” he said.

In the loss to Orlando on Thursday, the All-Star point guard missed 14 of 17 shots. He tallied 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the win over the Raptors.

• F Anthony Tolliver was recalled from the Spurs’ D-League affiliate in Austin on Friday. Tolliver averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in six games with the Toros.

He was needed to provide depth along the front line. Tolliver appeared in 11 games with San Antonio earlier this season before being designated for assignment on Nov. 12.

Medical Watch:

• C Fabricio Oberto (foot injury) is expected to be out until late December.

[tomtom]

how long has martin been out?

[duncan228]

how long has martin been out?


G Kevin Martin missed his seventh straight game with a sore left ankle. He originally injured it on November 9 and missed 12 games before returning on December 2. However, he only lasted two contests before being sidelined by the ankle once again.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Mon. Dec. 22
Sacramento @ San Antonio: T. Washington, E. Malloy, Z. Zarba

[tonylongoriafan]

wtf is up with back to back home games? i've got shit to do

[duncan228]

Game blog: Spurs vs. Kings (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/spursworld/)
By Joe Alexander

The Spurs have won seven of their last eight home games heading into tonight's meeting with the Sacramento Kings at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs beat the Kings 90-88 on Nov. 16 in Sacramento. Michael Finley had 21 points and Tim Duncan had 20.

The Kings have lost 13 of their last 15 games - a stretch that included the firing of Sacramento coach Reggie Theus.

Here's the latest on former Spur and current Kings guard Beno Udrih:

Jonathan Santiago, Kings.com
What music does Udrih listen to as he gets ready to play?
http://www.nba.com/kings/features/backcourt_beats08.html

[gingerwave]

Kevin Martin out is huge.

[kace]

Beno Udrih: 11.9 ppg (46.5 % FG, 23.5 3pts FG %), 5 apg for 2.8 TO per game.

where are all the Beno threads this year ??

[Manufan909]

Beno Udrih: 11.9 ppg (46.5 % FG, 23.5 3pts FG %), 5 apg for 2.8 TO per game.

where are all the Beno threads this year ??

No one really gives a fuck. Even Bonner(Pop ans STs whipping boy) has had like 20 threads made about him, and over half were actually positive.:p:(unless you count the sandwich articles as nuetral, than idk)

[anakha]

Beno Udrih: 11.9 ppg (46.5 % FG, 23.5 3pts FG %), 5 apg for 2.8 TO per game.

where are all the Beno threads this year ??

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109923&highlight=beno&page=4

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109641&highlight=beno&page=5

Yes, SpurSupremacist looks like a real genius now, doesn't he? :lol