timvp
02-01-2009, 04:05 PM
The top two teams in the Southwest Division clashed on Saturday night in the AT&T Center when the San Antonio Spurs hosted the New Orleans Hornets. While this contest on paper looked like it was going to be a heated one, the Spurs pulled away with relative ease and posted a 106-93 victory.
The indisputable highlight of the night was a classic Manu Ginobili throw down. With 4:20 to go in the third quarter and the Spurs up by nine points, Ginobili took a pass from Matt Bonner, curled to the basket and then did this:
http://spurstalk.com/ginobili-dunk-hornets.jpg
As for the Hornets, they obviously aren’t playing their best ball at the moment. Tyson Chandler being out is a big hole to fill, especially against the Spurs. And although they’ll probably reclaim it at some point, their chemistry doesn’t seem to be as impeccable as last season.
All things considered, this was another fine win for San Antonio. They’ve responded with three straight victories after the lackluster effort against the Lakers and this was the most impressive win of the bunch. The Spurs now lead the division by two games in the loss column and three games overall.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
37 minutes, 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks
5-for-10 from the field, 2-for-3 from the line
Offensively, Tim Duncan had it much easier than usual against the Hornets due to Chandler’s absence. New Orleans tried to compensate by sending extra help Duncan’s way. Unfortunately for the Hornets, Duncan recognized how he was being played and picked apart the defense with his passing. Although he hit half of his shots from the field, almost all of his shots were very makeable. On defense, Duncan was decent. His rotations were a bit slow but he held his own in one-on-one matchups.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
26 minutes, 22 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals
7-for-15 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers, 6-for-6 at the line
While Manu Ginobili’s night will be remembered for The Dunk, his overall game was very sharp. As was the case in his previous two games, Ginobili did a great job of letting the game come to him and settling into a groove. Pop’s gameplan had Ginobili getting the ball off of movement and put him in position to finish. And finish he did - either with shots of his own, pinpoint passes or a thunderous dunk. Defensively, Ginobili started off slow but he got much better as the game progressed. In the last three games, the Argentine sensation has gone 31-for-32 at the free throw line. This was also the first time this season Ginobili has had at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds
12-for-18 from the field, 1-for-1 at the line
Although Tony Parker made a few questionable decisions along the way, there’s no arguing the quality of his stat line. He had seven assists and only one turnover, and after starting the game 1-for-4 from the field, he hit 11 of his final 14 shots. His passing was good for the most part, however the timing wasn’t always there. Defensively, the gameplan was to lay off of Chris Paul and turn him into a scorer so that he couldn’t get his teammates involved. You can say the gameplan worked considering Paul scored a season-high 38 points and dished out season-low four assists. When the two Western Conference All-Star point guards were in the game at the same time, they relentlessly attacked each other – with Paul outscoring Parker 22 to 21.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
32 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, two assists, four steals
3-for-12 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 4-for-5 at the line
Roger Mason, Jr. continues to look just a half step out of rhythm. He’s getting good shots but he’s just not able to knock them down like he was earlier in the season. For the month of January, Mason shot just 38.3% from the field – down from his 45.4% shooting from the field in December. Hopefully he can regain his shooting touch on the Rodeo Road Trip. Against the Hornets, his defense was better and he really gave good effort on that end of the court.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
35 minutes, 20 points, six rebounds
8-for-10 from the field, 4-for-5 on three-pointers
Michael Finley was the shooting star of the game on Saturday night. His 16 first half points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field was a big reason why the Spurs were able to build a lead. Plus, Finley’s two shots in the second half came on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter after the Hornets had cut the Spurs’ lead to seven points. On the defensive end, Finley played well and helped out on the boards by pulling down a few difficult caroms. It’d be nice if Finley could go on a hot streak while the Spurs are out on the road.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
17 minutes, two rebounds, one block
Getting the start to matchup against David West, Kurt Thomas battled foul trouble but did fine work defensively against West. He bodied West and made him work for his points. However, outside of his defensive effort, Thomas didn’t do much. He only had two rebounds and didn’t attempt a shot on the offensive end. It’ll be interesting to see if Thomas will continue to start against the more talented bigmen in the league.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, 13 points, three rebounds, two assists
5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner came off the bench for the first time since Nov. 29 and actually played rather well. He hit his first five shots from the field and all three of his attempts from three-point land. Bonner has now hit 10-of-11 three-pointers over his last three games and his shooting 48.9% from deep on the season. Defensively against the Hornets, Bonner left a lot to be desired. He gave good effort but West usually scored on him when they matched up. His rotations were also a step slow on the night and his rebounding was sub par. However, it’s a good sign that Bonner played well on the offensive end even though he was coming off the bench and playing against the team he had his worst offensive game of the season against.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
12 minutes, one assist, one rebound
0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
All 12 of Bowen’s minutes came in the second quarter. Not coincidentally, the 20 points the Hornets scored in the second quarter was their low for the game. Bowen played good pressure defense and switched assignments to cool off the hot player. On offense, Bowen was held scoreless for the first time in seven games.
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George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
Nine minutes, two points, one rebound
1-for-3 from the field
George Hill had a rough night, especially when he went head-to-head against Paul. In the five and a half minutes he spent guarding him, Paul scored 16 points and taught the rookie a lesson about going under the pick-and-roll too far. On offense, Hill didn’t make very good decisions but his confidence and composure remained high.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
Six minutes, two points, one rebounds
1-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto played his six minutes at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Defensively, Oberto didn’t help his cause if he wants to play more minutes. His pick-and-roll defense was lazy and he was slow to rotate back to his proper position. On the other end, Oberto looked comfortable and made a few good passes and set a couple solid screens.
-------------------------------
Malik Hairston
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/rivals/full.48185/a1523cd118938faf9ccbf0d319b2c625/malik-hairston.jpg
One minute, one block
Playing in his first NBA game, Malik Hairston had an impressive block against Julian Wright in his one minute of play. The best news? Hairston’s debut (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290131024) looked a lot like someone else’s NBA debut (http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199703160MIA.html).
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop made a number of interesting decision in this game, the most interesting of which being to bench Bonner in place of Thomas. Although I wasn’t sold on the idea prior to tip off, I have to admit Pop had a point after seeing how well Thomas defended West and how much Bonner struggled against him. One thing I don’t like is that Pop’s leash on Hill is getting shorter and shorter. If Hill is going to be ready for the playoffs, he’s going to have to get as much experience as possible during the regular season. Let him be, Pop.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was very good again for the third straight game. During that stretch, the Spurs have averaged 108.7 points per game and shot 50.7% from the field. Against the Hornets, the Spurs connected on 54.7% of their attempts from the field, hit 9-of-18 three-pointers, handed out 26 assists and only turned the ball over 12 times. The only disappointing numbers were the 15 free throw attempts and the three offensive rebounds.
Defense
The strategy against the Hornets was to stay tight on the shooters, be physical with West and turn Paul into a scorer. It ended up working relatively well. As a team, the Hornets shot 49.4% from the field but outside of Paul’s 15-for-22 performance the rest of the team shot 42.4%. On three-pointers, Paul was 5-for-6 while his teammates were 1-for-5. Paul even had five of the Hornets’ 11 free throw attempts. The strategy paid its biggest dividends in the assists category, where New Orleans was only about to muster a total of ten. The one area the Hornets really outshined the Spurs was on the boards as they posted a 41-31 advantage. The best defense of the night might have been played by Hornets head coach Byron Scott. Playing Paul only 33 minutes was a head-scratcher, especially considering Paul averages 38 minutes and regularly plays more than 40 minutes. Thanks, Byron.
Drive to Five
The Rodeo Road Trip is now a reality. The Spurs kick it off with a difficult back-to-back set against the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. Though the Warriors aren’t very good, they make you expend a lot of energy. Playing the Nuggets less than 24 hours later won’t be easy. Let’s hope the Spurs can take care of the Warriors early and begin this road trip in fine fashion.
Believe.
The indisputable highlight of the night was a classic Manu Ginobili throw down. With 4:20 to go in the third quarter and the Spurs up by nine points, Ginobili took a pass from Matt Bonner, curled to the basket and then did this:
http://spurstalk.com/ginobili-dunk-hornets.jpg
As for the Hornets, they obviously aren’t playing their best ball at the moment. Tyson Chandler being out is a big hole to fill, especially against the Spurs. And although they’ll probably reclaim it at some point, their chemistry doesn’t seem to be as impeccable as last season.
All things considered, this was another fine win for San Antonio. They’ve responded with three straight victories after the lackluster effort against the Lakers and this was the most impressive win of the bunch. The Spurs now lead the division by two games in the loss column and three games overall.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
37 minutes, 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks
5-for-10 from the field, 2-for-3 from the line
Offensively, Tim Duncan had it much easier than usual against the Hornets due to Chandler’s absence. New Orleans tried to compensate by sending extra help Duncan’s way. Unfortunately for the Hornets, Duncan recognized how he was being played and picked apart the defense with his passing. Although he hit half of his shots from the field, almost all of his shots were very makeable. On defense, Duncan was decent. His rotations were a bit slow but he held his own in one-on-one matchups.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
26 minutes, 22 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals
7-for-15 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers, 6-for-6 at the line
While Manu Ginobili’s night will be remembered for The Dunk, his overall game was very sharp. As was the case in his previous two games, Ginobili did a great job of letting the game come to him and settling into a groove. Pop’s gameplan had Ginobili getting the ball off of movement and put him in position to finish. And finish he did - either with shots of his own, pinpoint passes or a thunderous dunk. Defensively, Ginobili started off slow but he got much better as the game progressed. In the last three games, the Argentine sensation has gone 31-for-32 at the free throw line. This was also the first time this season Ginobili has had at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds
12-for-18 from the field, 1-for-1 at the line
Although Tony Parker made a few questionable decisions along the way, there’s no arguing the quality of his stat line. He had seven assists and only one turnover, and after starting the game 1-for-4 from the field, he hit 11 of his final 14 shots. His passing was good for the most part, however the timing wasn’t always there. Defensively, the gameplan was to lay off of Chris Paul and turn him into a scorer so that he couldn’t get his teammates involved. You can say the gameplan worked considering Paul scored a season-high 38 points and dished out season-low four assists. When the two Western Conference All-Star point guards were in the game at the same time, they relentlessly attacked each other – with Paul outscoring Parker 22 to 21.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
32 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, two assists, four steals
3-for-12 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 4-for-5 at the line
Roger Mason, Jr. continues to look just a half step out of rhythm. He’s getting good shots but he’s just not able to knock them down like he was earlier in the season. For the month of January, Mason shot just 38.3% from the field – down from his 45.4% shooting from the field in December. Hopefully he can regain his shooting touch on the Rodeo Road Trip. Against the Hornets, his defense was better and he really gave good effort on that end of the court.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
35 minutes, 20 points, six rebounds
8-for-10 from the field, 4-for-5 on three-pointers
Michael Finley was the shooting star of the game on Saturday night. His 16 first half points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field was a big reason why the Spurs were able to build a lead. Plus, Finley’s two shots in the second half came on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter after the Hornets had cut the Spurs’ lead to seven points. On the defensive end, Finley played well and helped out on the boards by pulling down a few difficult caroms. It’d be nice if Finley could go on a hot streak while the Spurs are out on the road.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
17 minutes, two rebounds, one block
Getting the start to matchup against David West, Kurt Thomas battled foul trouble but did fine work defensively against West. He bodied West and made him work for his points. However, outside of his defensive effort, Thomas didn’t do much. He only had two rebounds and didn’t attempt a shot on the offensive end. It’ll be interesting to see if Thomas will continue to start against the more talented bigmen in the league.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, 13 points, three rebounds, two assists
5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner came off the bench for the first time since Nov. 29 and actually played rather well. He hit his first five shots from the field and all three of his attempts from three-point land. Bonner has now hit 10-of-11 three-pointers over his last three games and his shooting 48.9% from deep on the season. Defensively against the Hornets, Bonner left a lot to be desired. He gave good effort but West usually scored on him when they matched up. His rotations were also a step slow on the night and his rebounding was sub par. However, it’s a good sign that Bonner played well on the offensive end even though he was coming off the bench and playing against the team he had his worst offensive game of the season against.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
12 minutes, one assist, one rebound
0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
All 12 of Bowen’s minutes came in the second quarter. Not coincidentally, the 20 points the Hornets scored in the second quarter was their low for the game. Bowen played good pressure defense and switched assignments to cool off the hot player. On offense, Bowen was held scoreless for the first time in seven games.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
Nine minutes, two points, one rebound
1-for-3 from the field
George Hill had a rough night, especially when he went head-to-head against Paul. In the five and a half minutes he spent guarding him, Paul scored 16 points and taught the rookie a lesson about going under the pick-and-roll too far. On offense, Hill didn’t make very good decisions but his confidence and composure remained high.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
Six minutes, two points, one rebounds
1-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto played his six minutes at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Defensively, Oberto didn’t help his cause if he wants to play more minutes. His pick-and-roll defense was lazy and he was slow to rotate back to his proper position. On the other end, Oberto looked comfortable and made a few good passes and set a couple solid screens.
-------------------------------
Malik Hairston
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/rivals/full.48185/a1523cd118938faf9ccbf0d319b2c625/malik-hairston.jpg
One minute, one block
Playing in his first NBA game, Malik Hairston had an impressive block against Julian Wright in his one minute of play. The best news? Hairston’s debut (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290131024) looked a lot like someone else’s NBA debut (http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199703160MIA.html).
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop made a number of interesting decision in this game, the most interesting of which being to bench Bonner in place of Thomas. Although I wasn’t sold on the idea prior to tip off, I have to admit Pop had a point after seeing how well Thomas defended West and how much Bonner struggled against him. One thing I don’t like is that Pop’s leash on Hill is getting shorter and shorter. If Hill is going to be ready for the playoffs, he’s going to have to get as much experience as possible during the regular season. Let him be, Pop.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was very good again for the third straight game. During that stretch, the Spurs have averaged 108.7 points per game and shot 50.7% from the field. Against the Hornets, the Spurs connected on 54.7% of their attempts from the field, hit 9-of-18 three-pointers, handed out 26 assists and only turned the ball over 12 times. The only disappointing numbers were the 15 free throw attempts and the three offensive rebounds.
Defense
The strategy against the Hornets was to stay tight on the shooters, be physical with West and turn Paul into a scorer. It ended up working relatively well. As a team, the Hornets shot 49.4% from the field but outside of Paul’s 15-for-22 performance the rest of the team shot 42.4%. On three-pointers, Paul was 5-for-6 while his teammates were 1-for-5. Paul even had five of the Hornets’ 11 free throw attempts. The strategy paid its biggest dividends in the assists category, where New Orleans was only about to muster a total of ten. The one area the Hornets really outshined the Spurs was on the boards as they posted a 41-31 advantage. The best defense of the night might have been played by Hornets head coach Byron Scott. Playing Paul only 33 minutes was a head-scratcher, especially considering Paul averages 38 minutes and regularly plays more than 40 minutes. Thanks, Byron.
Drive to Five
The Rodeo Road Trip is now a reality. The Spurs kick it off with a difficult back-to-back set against the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. Though the Warriors aren’t very good, they make you expend a lot of energy. Playing the Nuggets less than 24 hours later won’t be easy. Let’s hope the Spurs can take care of the Warriors early and begin this road trip in fine fashion.
Believe.