ducks
03-08-2005, 08:55 AM
Tim Duncan likely won't be available for the San Antonio Spurs. Even if he was, the Spurs' other starting forward still might be getting more of the New Jersey Nets' attention.
Less than a month after Bruce Bowen helped induce the first ejection of Vince Carter's career, the grudge match between the small forwards continues as the Spurs, probably without Duncan, host the Nets.
Carter was tearing up Bowen and San Antonio's defense when these teams met on Feb. 11, scoring 43 points in 37 minutes as New Jersey led for most of the contest. Early in the fourth quarter, Carter came down from a jumper and Bowen got under him. Their legs got tangled and Carter fell to the court, then screamed at Bowen and walked menacingly toward him.
A referee got between the players before there was any further contact, but Carter ended up with his second technical of the game. The first came after he was pushing off with Bowen, who also got a technical, during an out-of-bounds play in the third quarter.
Carter's ejection changed the shape of the game and the Spurs rallied for a 101-91 victory.
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``I felt it was a little more than needed out there and I reacted,'' Carter said.
His season nearly ended last year when Bowen undercut him and caused an ankle injury.
``If he did come with a grudge, then he's worried about the wrong things,'' Bowen said.
Besides having to be worried about Carter being particularly motivated, the Spurs are likely going to be without their best player.
Duncan did not return to Sunday's game against Utah after spraining his right ankle 3:48 into the second half. Though Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expects Duncan to sit out this game, he was happy to learn X-rays were negative and that his superstar forward isn't expected to miss more than a week.
San Antonio visits Phoenix on Wednesday in a matchup of the league's top teams before getting two days off.
In Duncan's absence on Sunday, fellow All-Star Manu Ginobili stepped up to score 31 points as the Spurs beat the Jazz 101-94.
``We are not used to playing without Tim,'' Ginobili said. ``We said we could do nothing about that. We said we have to forget about him. It was a big effort, and we are satisfied with it.''
Ginobili went 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final 30 seconds and the Spurs finished 29-of-32, an impressive effort considering they are one of the league's worst free-throw shooting teams at 72.7 percent.
The Spurs have won four in a row -- by an average of 4.5 points -- while the Nets are coming off two blowout losses at home as they go to the SBC Center to begin a four-game road trip.
New Jersey lost 106-90 to Miami on Thursday before falling 105-81 to Orlando on Saturday.
Carter totaled 47 points in those two defeats, but shot 14-for-37 from the field (37.8 percent). He had six turnovers on Saturday, when the Nets shot 36.1 percent while allowing the Magic to hit 60 percent.
STANDINGS (through March 6): Nets - 3rd place, 5 GB, Atlantic Division. Spurs - 1st place, Southwest Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Nets - F Carter, F Jason Collins, C Nenad Krstic, G Jacque Vaughn, G Jason Kidd. Spurs - F Bowen, F Tony Massenburg, C Rasho Nesterovic, G Tony Parker, G Ginobili.
TEAM LEADERS: Nets - Carter, 22.5 ppg; Kidd, 6.9 rpg and 7.8 apg. Spurs - Duncan, 21.2 ppg and 11.6 rpg; Parker, 6.2 apg.
SEASON SERIES: Spurs, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 11; Spurs, 101-91. At East Rutherford, N.J., Parker scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for San Antonio, which had trailed by as many as 16 points.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Nets - 10-20 on the road; Spurs - 27-2 at home.
INJURIES: Nets - F Richard Jefferson (wrist). Spurs - F Duncan (ankle); C Nazr Mohammed (groin); G Mike Wilks (knee); F-C Sean Marks (foot); F Linton Johnson (ankle).
Less than a month after Bruce Bowen helped induce the first ejection of Vince Carter's career, the grudge match between the small forwards continues as the Spurs, probably without Duncan, host the Nets.
Carter was tearing up Bowen and San Antonio's defense when these teams met on Feb. 11, scoring 43 points in 37 minutes as New Jersey led for most of the contest. Early in the fourth quarter, Carter came down from a jumper and Bowen got under him. Their legs got tangled and Carter fell to the court, then screamed at Bowen and walked menacingly toward him.
A referee got between the players before there was any further contact, but Carter ended up with his second technical of the game. The first came after he was pushing off with Bowen, who also got a technical, during an out-of-bounds play in the third quarter.
Carter's ejection changed the shape of the game and the Spurs rallied for a 101-91 victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
``I felt it was a little more than needed out there and I reacted,'' Carter said.
His season nearly ended last year when Bowen undercut him and caused an ankle injury.
``If he did come with a grudge, then he's worried about the wrong things,'' Bowen said.
Besides having to be worried about Carter being particularly motivated, the Spurs are likely going to be without their best player.
Duncan did not return to Sunday's game against Utah after spraining his right ankle 3:48 into the second half. Though Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expects Duncan to sit out this game, he was happy to learn X-rays were negative and that his superstar forward isn't expected to miss more than a week.
San Antonio visits Phoenix on Wednesday in a matchup of the league's top teams before getting two days off.
In Duncan's absence on Sunday, fellow All-Star Manu Ginobili stepped up to score 31 points as the Spurs beat the Jazz 101-94.
``We are not used to playing without Tim,'' Ginobili said. ``We said we could do nothing about that. We said we have to forget about him. It was a big effort, and we are satisfied with it.''
Ginobili went 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final 30 seconds and the Spurs finished 29-of-32, an impressive effort considering they are one of the league's worst free-throw shooting teams at 72.7 percent.
The Spurs have won four in a row -- by an average of 4.5 points -- while the Nets are coming off two blowout losses at home as they go to the SBC Center to begin a four-game road trip.
New Jersey lost 106-90 to Miami on Thursday before falling 105-81 to Orlando on Saturday.
Carter totaled 47 points in those two defeats, but shot 14-for-37 from the field (37.8 percent). He had six turnovers on Saturday, when the Nets shot 36.1 percent while allowing the Magic to hit 60 percent.
STANDINGS (through March 6): Nets - 3rd place, 5 GB, Atlantic Division. Spurs - 1st place, Southwest Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Nets - F Carter, F Jason Collins, C Nenad Krstic, G Jacque Vaughn, G Jason Kidd. Spurs - F Bowen, F Tony Massenburg, C Rasho Nesterovic, G Tony Parker, G Ginobili.
TEAM LEADERS: Nets - Carter, 22.5 ppg; Kidd, 6.9 rpg and 7.8 apg. Spurs - Duncan, 21.2 ppg and 11.6 rpg; Parker, 6.2 apg.
SEASON SERIES: Spurs, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 11; Spurs, 101-91. At East Rutherford, N.J., Parker scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for San Antonio, which had trailed by as many as 16 points.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Nets - 10-20 on the road; Spurs - 27-2 at home.
INJURIES: Nets - F Richard Jefferson (wrist). Spurs - F Duncan (ankle); C Nazr Mohammed (groin); G Mike Wilks (knee); F-C Sean Marks (foot); F Linton Johnson (ankle).