Spurs At Nuggets Previews

[duncan228]

Tuesday: Spurs (33-14) at Nuggets (31-16) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Tuesday_Spurs_33-14_at_Nuggets_31-16.html)
Express-News

Time: 8 p.m.
TV: KMYS, NBA TV
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - NUGGETS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 7 Chauncey Billups (6-3, 12th yr)
Parker, Billups will take turns backing up Chris Paul in Feb. 15 All-Star Game.

SG - 8 Roger Mason (6-5, 5th yr) - 30 Dahntay Jones (6-6, 6th yr)
Fun but meaningless stat: Nuggets are 17-5 when Jones logs at least 20 minutes.

SG - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 15 Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 6th yr)
All-Star snub bothered Anthony, but ill-timed fractured hand hurt his candidacy.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 4 Kenyon Martin (6-9, 9th yr)
Duncan continues two-step with Parker for Spurs’ scoring lead.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 31 Nenê (6-11, 7th yr)
Nenê leads the NBA with 61.7 shooting percentage.

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
7 Fabricio Oberto, C/F, 6-10, 4th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
1 Malik Hairston, G, 6-5, 1st yr

NUGGETS RESERVES

11 Chris Andersen, F/C, 6-10, 7th yr
32 Renaldo Balkman, F, 6-8, 3rd yr
25 Anthony Carter, G, 6-2, 10th yr
43 Linas Kleiza, F, 6-8, 4th yr
27 Johan Petro, C, 7-0, 4th yr
1 J.R. Smith, G, 6-6, 5th yr
13 Sonny Weems, G/F, 6-6, 1st yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Nuggets: George Karl

INJURIES

Spurs: Ian Mahinmi (right ankle surgery) is out.

Nuggets: Steven Hunter (right knee surgery) is out. Anthony (fractured right hand) is probable.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Mahinmi, Jacque Vaughn.

Nuggets: Hunter.

NOTABLE

Not-so-fresh off of Monday’s game against the run-and-gun Warriors, the Spurs complete one of the season’s most grueling back-to-backs tonight in the high altitude of Denver. ... Spurs and Nuggets have split two games this season, which each team winning on the other’s home court. Spurs beat Denver 108-91 on Dec. 4 at the Pepsi Center in most recent meeting. ... Nuggets are 30-13 since trading for Billups on Nov. 3.

- Jeff McDonald

[SpursFan0728]

tough one

[td4mvp21]

I want this win.

[024]

hairston is 6'5? not exactly good size for SF. i wonder how bonner will match up against nene... not very good i prediict.

[m33p0]

playing the nuggets in denver on the second of a back-to-back after winning in overtime against a very game warriors? no problemo.










































spurs will lose this one. :(

[alchemist]

Final meeting between these two ball clubs, hopefully the Spurs have enough in the tank to get this win.

[duncan228]

San Antonio (33-14) at Denver (31-16) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009020307&prov=ap)
Game info: 9:00 pm EST Tue Feb 3, 2009
TV: My35, ALT
By Brett Huston

It looked like the San Antonio Spurs’ marathon road trip was about to get off to a rocky start against the worst defensive team in the NBA, but the team’s three stars made sure that wouldn’t be the case.

Escaping with a win in Denver could be considerably more difficult.

A night after needing overtime to pick up their fourth straight victory, the Spurs will try to win for the ninth time in 10 games on Tuesday when they visit the Nuggets, who are happy to have their superstar back on the floor.

San Antonio’s “rodeo” road trip has been a major success over the past six seasons, as coach Gregg Popovich’s team has gone 35-13 on the annual journey since 2002-03.

This year’s eight-game trek began at Golden State on Monday, and the Spurs (33-14) found themselves down 89-77 with less than nine minutes left to the defensively challenged Warriors.

But San Antonio closed regulation on an 18-6 run - including four Manu Ginobili free throws in the final minute to tie the score - and won 110-105 in overtime despite Tim Duncan fouling out.

Ginobili finished with 32 points, and is averaging 28.0 points in his last three games. He’s 35-of-36 from the free-throw line.

“(Ginobili) is really finding his stride and been playing great the last five or six games,” said Duncan, who also had 32 points. “It looks like he’s feeling good about it and is getting back to the basket a lot more which is only going to help us.”

Tony Parker had 23 points and seven assists as the team improved to 15-7 away from home.

The Spurs’ next two games on their trip appear to be their toughest. Following their visit to the Pepsi Center, they’ll have four days off before playing defending champion Boston on Sunday. The trip closes with four of five games against sub-.500 teams.

Denver (31-16) had a three-game lead over Portland in the Northwest Division when Carmelo Anthony went down with a broken hand on Jan. 6, and went 6-4 in the three weeks he missed.

The Nuggets’ lead is down to a game over the streaking Trail Blazers now, but Anthony didn’t look too rusty in his first game back on Friday. He had 19 points and five assists in 30 minutes as Denver beat Charlotte 110-99.

“It felt pretty good,” Anthony said of his hand. “It’s still a little tender. That’s going to be something that I have to fight through.”

Chauncey Billups scored 21.6 points per game in Anthony’s absence and J.R. Smith averaged 16.7 points, but it was Linas Kleiza who stepped up offensively.

Kleiza was only scoring 9.7 ppg when Anthony went down, but averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in the 10 games his two-time All-Star teammate missed. With Anthony back on Friday, Kleiza’s play didn’t suffer - he scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Nene, meanwhile, is shooting 61.7 percent from the field to lead the league, but has been even better recently. He’s averaging 17.8 points on 68.9 percent shooting in his last six games, including a 10-for-11 performance against the Bobcats.

“The sky’s the limit for this team,” Anthony said. “They made my time (out) a little bit easier by winning games. Now, we want to build on that.”

Nene will be in for a challenge down low against Duncan, who had 21 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks at Denver in a 108-91 Spurs win on Dec. 4. Parker had a game-high 22 and Ginobili 21 in that contest.

Duncan is averaging 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in 21 career regular-season games in Denver.

Notes

Spurs:

Monday's win came in the opener of a season-high, eight-game road trip for the Spurs. Forced into the extensive trek due to the rodeo at AT&T Center, San Antonio has gone 35-13 over the previous six seasons - including 6-3 in 2007-08 - during the annual trip. ... F Tim Duncan fouled out for just the second time this season, doing so with 3:17 remaining in overtime. He finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds. ... The Spurs committed 20 turnovers. Duncan and G Tony Parker had six apiece. ... San Antonio hit only 3-of-13 (23 percent) 3-pointers.

Nuggets:

The Nuggets are 15-1 when scoring 110 points this season and 10-0 at home when doing so. ... Denver outrebounded Charlotte, 39-30, Friday, improving to 12-1 at home when outrebounding its opponent. ... C Nene registered his 14th double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. ... F Carmelo Anthony returned from a 10-game absence after suffering a non-displaced third metacarpal fracture on his right hand against the Indiana Pacers on January 5. He scored 19 points in just under 30 minutes.

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Tony Parker SA 20.6
Carmelo Anthony Den 21.1

Rebounds

Tim Duncan SA 10.3
Nene Hilario Den 8.2

Assists

Tony Parker SA 6.5
Chauncey Billups Den 6.5

Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

San Antonio 33-14 1st Southwest / 2nd West 97.6 94.3 Road 15-7 Won 4 8-2

Denver 31-16 1st Northwest / 3rd West 104.1 100.3 Home 19-6 Won 1 6-4

[KaiRMD1]

I hope we win this.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Manu better get his 3 pt shot back for tomorrow. I don't trust that punk, Carmelo.

[MI21]

Incredibly tough game for all the reasons already mentioned. I hope Pop limits TD and TP to 32-34 minutes and Manu to 26-28... Give the bench a shot to win this game for the Spurs. Mason, Hill and Bonner are going to have to step up and lets hope KT continues his stellar play.

I can't see them winning it and have a feeling Denver will get out early and hold a 8-12pt for most of the game.

[Deimosfobos]

Hard game, specially after a OT game the day before... hope we can pull it off.

[mystargtr34]

Dont have a good feeling about this one.

[amy020]

back to back ,really tough game
go spurs go

[Yorae]

Don't worry guys, coach nelson might find a way to fuck this up and bowen is there to piss off melo.

[024]

don't worry, i have a solution. switch the bench with the starters. start hill, mason, bowen, bonner, and oberto. why not? popovich has already lost his mind by going micro ball against the warriors. finley at center? wtf.

i noticed bowen only played for 15 minutes today despite jackson's 33 pts. popovich definitely preserving him for melo.

[TDMVPDPOY]

don't worry, i have a solution. switch the bench with the starters. start hill, mason, bowen, bonner, and oberto. why not? popovich has already lost his mind by going micro ball against the warriors. finley at center? wtf.

i noticed bowen only played for 15 minutes today despite jackson's 33 pts. popovich definitely preserving him for melo.

pop should go back to the lineup when gino and parker was out injured....

duncan, bonner, bowen, finley, hill

[45 bank shot]

just watch out and try not to get injured cuz injury is now like a plage in the league.

[tlongII]

Is there any way both teams could lose this game?

[TMTTRIO]

Manu better get his 3 pt shot back for tomorrow. I don't trust that punk, Carmelo.

Actually I hope Manu doesn't play at all the way he was banged up last night.

[Agloco]

Look for the Nuggets to blow the Spurs away in this one.

[PDXSpursFan]

Close game the 1st half, then we get blown out (out of gas) in the 2nd - book it.

[duncan228]

Spurs represent measuring stick for Nuggets (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/02/spurs-represent-measuring-stick-nuggets/)
By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Notorious for pacing themselves during the regular season in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs were limping along at 9-8 when their bus pulled into the Pepsi Center parking lot two months ago.

They had spent most of November as an incomplete unit, first without shooting guard Manu Ginobili and then without point guard Tony Parker.

Given a chance to use injuries as an excuse, All-Star forward Tim Duncan instead expressed his concern.

"I don't remember it ever being like this," Duncan said after San Antonio's Dec. 4 shootaround.

That night, with Ginobili and Parker healthy, the Spurs went out and dismantled the Nuggets 108-91, triggering a six-game winning streak.

They have stumbled only a handful of times since.

San Antonio, 32-14 entering its game at Golden State on Monday night, returns to Denver tonight boasting the second-best record in the West — thanks primarily to a 23-6 stretch that started with the lopsided victory against the Nuggets.

"I think the Lakers, Spurs (and) maybe New Orleans in the West have shown that they're a little ahead of the curve being a championship contender," Nuggets coach George Karl said Monday. "I think everybody's giving the Lakers the benefit of the doubt, but I think from a mental toughness standpoint, San Antonio's ahead of everybody."

Much of the credit goes to Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Bruce Bowen — the four remaining Spurs who have been on all three of San Antonio's title-winning teams in the past six seasons.

The consistent quartet reminds Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups of his time with the Detroit Pistons, whose core players were together for six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals and an NBA championship run in 2006.

"The one thing that's different — and it's a major thing, to be honest — is (the Spurs have) been able to stay consistent at the top as far as a coach," Billups said. "We went through like four coaches (in Detroit). When you can stay with one coach that's been great, it makes a difference."

Now in his 13th NBA season — all with the Spurs — coach Gregg Popovich has a good chance to add to his four championship rings.

Two of the titles (2005 and 2007) came after defeating Denver in the first round of the playoffs, but the Nuggets are hoping to make an early statement in the teams' final regular-season meeting tonight.

With the standings tight and the season series tied 1-1, a win would give Denver the tiebreaker in case of playoff seeding.

"We had looked forward to that (Dec. 4) game, actually, and just came out and got dominated," Billups said. "That was one of our most disappointing losses, probably.

"I know that we're going to fight. It's a good game for us to measure where we're at because they are one of the elite teams and we want to get to that level. That's a team that we could see later on down the road."

Spurs at Nuggets

When: 7 tonight.

Where: Pepsi Center.

TV/radio: Altitude; KCKK-AM (1510).

Probable starting lineups

San Antonio (32-14) Pos. Ht. Pts.

4 Michael Finley F 6-7 9.6
21 Tim Duncan F 6-11 20.4
15 Matt Bonner C 6-10 8.2
8 Roger Mason Jr. G 6-5 11.7
9 Tony Parker G 6-2 20.6

Coach:Gregg Popovich

Denver (31-16) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 21.1
4 Kenyon Martin F 6-9 13.0
31 Nene C 6-11 15.1
30 Dahntay Jones G 6-6 6.0
7 Chauncey Billups G 6-3 18.6

Coach:George Karl

Injuries:

San Antonio - C Ian Mahinmi (right ankle surgery) is out.

Denver - F/C Steven Hunter (knee surgery) is out.

Notes:

Tonight is Denver's final home game before playing eight straight on the road. "Crazy month on the road," Billups said. "We've been a pretty good road team (12-10) and we're going to have to be this month." . . . Nene is 22-of-23 from the floor in his past two home games, but he has made only 6-of-11 free throws. . . . The Nuggets are 24-1 when leading after three quarters. . . . Karl used the past three days to help incorporate Anthony into the offensive and defensive game plan. Anthony had not practiced leading to his return Friday from a broken bone in his hand. . . . The Spurs are 16-4 in games decided by six points or fewer and 9-2 in games decided by three points or fewer. . . . San Antonio is 7-3 in the second of back-to-back games this season.

[duncan228]

Spurs continue road trip against Nuggets (http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4208844)

(Sports Network) - The streaking San Antonio Spurs shoot for their fifth straight win Tuesday as they resume their annual eight-game "rodeo" road trip in Denver against the Nuggets.

The Spurs hit the road every year at this time while the rodeo inhabits the AT&T Center in the Alamo City.

San Antonio, which will also visit Boston, New Jersey, Toronto, New York, Detroit and Washington on the swing, has traditionally flourished on the long trips. Since 2002-03, when the rodeo moved to the AT&T Center from the smaller Freeman Coliseum, the Spurs have compiled a gaudy 36-13 mark on their annual trek after winning the opener of the latest rodeo road trip in Oakland on Monday.

Tim Duncan scored 32 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili got the game into overtime with two free throws late in regulation, as the Spurs downed the Warriors, 110-105, in that one.

Duncan fouled out with 3:17 left in overtime, but he had already done plenty of damage, making 13-of-20 shots from the floor. Ginobili added 32 as well and Tony Parker tallied 23 points with seven assists for the Spurs, who improved their division lead to four games over New Orleans, who lost a game and perhaps Chris Paul as well due to injury on Monday night. San Antonio has won eight of its last nine games and improved to 15-7 on the road.

The Northwest Division-leading Nuggets, meanwhile, won the opener of a quick two-game homestand last Friday when Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his return to the Denver lineup and the Nuggets earned a 110-99 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Nene scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Denver, which has won four of its last five games. Linas Kleiza scored 21 for the Nuggets, who shot 54.8 percent from the field.

Anthony, who missed the previous 10 games after fracturing his right hand, went 5-of-12 from the field and missed just two of his 11 foul shots in nearly 30 minutes of action.

"It felt pretty good," said Anthony of his hand after the game. "It's still a little tender, but that's something that I have to fight through."

Denver, which is 19-6 at the Pepsi Center, will hit the road for an eight-game road trip of its own after tonight's game.

These two teams have split a pair of meetings this season with each club winning on the opposition's home floor. The Spurs downed Denver, 108-91, at the Pepsi Center on December 4.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Tue. Feb. 3
San Antonio @ Denver: K. Mauer, B. Adams, G. Zielinski

[m33p0]

The consistent quartet reminds Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups of his time with the Detroit Pistons, whose core players were together for six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals and an NBA championship run in 2006.
huh?

[smeagol]

Incredibly tough game for all the reasons already mentioned. I hope Pop limits TD and TP to 32-34 minutes and Manu to 26-28... Give the bench a shot to win this game for the Spurs. Mason, Hill and Bonner are going to have to step up and lets hope KT continues his stellar play.

I can't see them winning it and have a feeling Denver will get out early and hold a 8-12pt for most of the game.

I fully agree. I'm hoping good games from Mason and Hill. Hill has been pretty quiet for a while.

[smeagol]

Incredibly tough game for all the reasons already mentioned. I hope Pop limits TD and TP to 32-34 minutes and Manu to 26-28... Give the bench a shot to win this game for the Spurs. Mason, Hill and Bonner are going to have to step up and lets hope KT continues his stellar play.

I can't see them winning it and have a feeling Denver will get out early and hold a 8-12pt for most of the game.

I fully agree. I'm hoping for good games from Mason and Hill. Hill has been pretty quiet for a while.

[it's me]

KT should start come playoff time if we don’t get Camby or another quality big…..

[xtremesteven33]

I dont think Pop will limit Duncan/Manu/ or tonys minutes too much. They have like 4 days off after tonight to rest up so i expect them to play all out keeping in mind they have 4 days off to rest up against the best in the league in a nationally televised game....The Celtics.

[spursfaninla]

Hit carmelo in the hand every time he shoots the ball. Not enough to injure him, just to throw off his shot.

compassion is for the weak. weakness is our enemy.

[Thomas82]

Hard game, specially after a OT game the day before... hope we can pull it off.

Easier said than done.

[de Soto]

A tough game...Spurs will......................................barely adge out Denver, I hope.:(

[duncan228]

Nuggets' Nene vs. Spurs' Duncan tonight (http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11618040)
By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post

Tonight's important Nuggets game against the Spurs could be determined in the paint, where Denver's Nene has thrived of late.

He will get his dosage of San Antonio all-star Tim Duncan, though it could be said that Duncan will get his dosage of Nene, who has thrived at home this season.

Nene had made 21-straight field goals at Pepsi Center, before missing a basket in last Friday's game against the Bo bcats. Of course, Nene leads the NBA with a 61.7 field goal percentage.

"He's an incredible luxury," Denver coach George Karl said at Tuesday's shootaround.

"Not only to the team but the coach, because he doesn't ever want to take a bad shot — he's very conscious about his shot selection and decision making. He works very hard at getting high-percentage shots.

"It makes your team function. Every time you score with effective and efficient ability around the basket, it makes the offense flow and the defense shrink."

But Nene has been victim to early foul trouble in some games this season, which could be a problem if it happens tonight against the Spurs, one of the smarter teams in the league.

[duncan228]

San Antonio at Denver (http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_11613649)

Spotlight on Roger Mason Jr.: Few knew what to expect when the Spurs signed Mason, a guard, in the offseason, but he has quickly turned into a key cog. He's averaging 11.7 points per game, fourth-best on the team, and has hit two game-winning 3-pointers. He ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in both 3-point field goals made and shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Nuggets: The Nuggets are looking at tonight's game as a chance to prove they are as good as they think they are. "This is a big test for us," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "In our mind we feel that we are one of the better teams in the Western Conference. A game like (this) can validate that. Us going out there and beating the San Antonio Spurs says a lot about us."

Spurs: This is the second game in a back-to-back for the Spurs, who played at Golden State on Monday night. It also is the second in an eight-game road trip for San Antonio.

[41times]

B2B game tonight with travel to Denver.

Odds are not in the Spurs favor. Altitude does not help either.

The 3rd quarter is always the key quarter in these B2B games.

What's the line?

[duncan228]

NBA Picks San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets (http://www.sportsbookbettingpromotions.com/020309-nba-picks-san-antonio-spurs-vs-denver-nuggets.html)
Written by Glen McNeil

NBA Picks San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets: The Spurs (33-14) are on a four game winning streak after a win on Monday 110-105 on the road to Golden State. Tim Duncan scored five of his 32 points in overtime and the Spurs overcame a 12-point deficit to win the game. The Spurs are 8-1 SU in their last nine, but just 5-4 ATS. After going six straight games without scoring 100 points and averaging just 90.5 ppg, the Spurs have scored 106, 114, 106 and 110 in their last four. The sports oddds list Denver Nuggets -6 favorites to San Antonio Spurs heading into this NBA Picks matchup.

"(Ginobili) is really finding his stride and been playing great the last five or six games," Duncan said. "It looks like he's feeling good about it and is getting back to the basket a lot more which is only going to help us."

The Nuggets are (31-16) heading into this NBA Picks & Sports odds matchup. They are coming off a win on Friday night over Charlotte 110-99 at home. Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his first game back from a broken bone. This team is like the opening act at a concert, no one comes to see them and there not around at the end. Irrelevant team from an irrelevant division. Seriously though, how can you take a team named after a fast food menu item wearing baby blue and yellow seriously? Nuggets will need to cut out the silly turnovers and for Nene/KMart/Birdman to have a solid game vs Tim. The sports odds list the total in this San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets game is set at 199 points.

NBA Picks San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets: Nuggets must take care of business at home. After this game they start an 8 game road trip (with the all star break sandwiched it). This could be the make or break part of the Nugget's season. When DENVER team Played as Home team as a Favorite - Last 4 years - playing on Tuesday 18-4 SU in this spot.

[FreeMason]

Duncan Nene duo, we needs.

[timvp]

Stay healthy.

[mystargtr34]

Nene is tough to guard in the post, and he and K-Mart they are probably two of the best post defenders in the league.

Might be a tough night for Timmy.

[Bandwagon Spurs Fan]

Spurs show up to play for one quarter, take two.five off, then pull out a close win by +26.

[duncan228]

Might be a tough night for Timmy.


Stay healthy.

[NFGIII]

Any B2B is tough on us but throw in an OT game plus the altitude and and you have the makings of a disaster. Not that I'm saying we are going to have one but I've got this funny feeling about the Nuggets. They been able to do this to us before and if Carmelo returns he will be juiced up to put on a show.

After saying all that we could come out and smoke them, too. I'm pretty sure Pop got a message to the team about their defensive intensity over a 48 minute game.

Anyway we need for some of the other players to get into the act since the Big 3 can't do it all the time.

This is either going to a fun one to watch or ...............?

:flag:

[NFGIII]

Stay healthy.

:tu

Always my first thought. We can afford to lose some games just not our players.

[jdev82]

HAH did you see GP on nba tv diagnosing the spurs 3 games in?
what a moron
and ZO is gonna do the announcing!
ZO ZO ZO
remember when timmy dunked on him in the ASG 2000?
anyway.
lets hope bruce can ball in thin air, were gonna need him.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope for tonight is that the Spurs were on cruise control for a good part of the Warriors game, making me think they were looking ahead to this game.

[Jmoney]

I have rubbed the crystal ball and here is the results.


Spurs by 16..

Melo coming back with a somewhat nagging hand injury will take to many shots away from those in Denver that have been hot.

Spurs fresh off one of the best rebounding performances they have had *even though the warriors do allow more rebounds to the opposite team than any other will be all over the glass*.

Parker/Gino/Mason will combine for 60+

Duncan will have a monster game with rebounds and assist but will only score in the teens.

A spur will go down with an injury and leave the game but it will be a minor one.

Pop will announce that they are not trading anyone and it is an odd year have faith in your spurs.

[Jobbs]

man if it's a 20 point lead for the Nuggs in the 3rd, sit the starters. 4 days of rest for the biggest game of the season Sunday.

[HarlemHeat37]

there's no reason to rest the guys..we have a lot of rest until we play Boston..

keys to this game..

get Nene in foul trouble, or make him work..he defends Duncan very well..Timmy is Kenyon Martin's father, so the more we get that matchup, the more it'll be exploited..

a lot of Bowen..Bruce dominated Melo the last time out, and there's no way Finley can guard him..we'll probably see Bowen guarding Billups at times as well..

Manu should be able to continue his success, since Denver doesn't have any good defenders at the 2 or 3..

we also need one of Mason, Bonner or Finley to have good games..

[crc21209]

I say we go all out and try to win this game, since they dont play again till Sunday. As long as we stay healthy though, big key. Let's see if they can pull it out, it would be HUGE!

[024]

don't worry, i have a solution. switch the bench with the starters. start hill, mason, bowen, bonner, and oberto. why not? popovich has already lost his mind by going micro ball against the warriors. finley at center? wtf.

i noticed bowen only played for 15 minutes today despite jackson's 33 pts. popovich definitely preserving him for melo.

popovich followed my suggestion. except thomas is started instead of oberto. i should be assistant coach.

[Jobbs]

there's no reason to rest the guys..we have a lot of rest until we play Boston..


See, Pop liked my logic. He lurks here before games ya know. :lol Winning every game isn't important now.

[timvp]

Stay healthy.

Mission accomplished. :hat