duncan228
02-28-2009, 08:41 PM
San Antonio (39-18) at Portland (36-22) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009030122&prov=ap)
Game info: 8:00 pm EST Sun Mar 1, 2009
TV: My35, CSNW
By Brett Huston
Tony Parker made sure the San Antonio Spurs didn’t miss Tim Duncan too much when they faced the Portland Trail Blazers last week.
They’d prefer if they didn’t have to try winning without Duncan again.
The Spurs have been without their biggest star for the past three games, but they’ll hope to get him back on the floor Sunday night when they look to beat the Trail Blazers for the 14th time in 15 games.
Duncan has been out since Tuesday, when his knee felt stiff before the Spurs (39-18) opened a three-game homestand, and on Wednesday he was diagnosed with a right quad injury.
Parker was brilliant in the first two games that Duncan was sidelined. He scored 37 points in a 93-76 victory over Dallas on Tuesday and had 39 against Portland (36-22) in a 99-84 win Wednesday.
“He was like a roadrunner blowing by us,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
San Antonio has won 13 of 14 and 20 of 22 against Portland.
Duncan showed no signs of pain while shooting jumpers at a morning workout Friday and was cleared by team doctors to return that night against Cleveland. But coach Gregg Popovich opted to leave Duncan on the bench for another game, saying that the two-time league MVP is “too important to us,” while speculating that the big man will return either Sunday in Portland or Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“If I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of caution,” Popovich said. “Tim doesn’t (sit) down much and when he said he couldn’t go on Tuesday, that says something to me. … Resting him makes me more comfortable.”
Parker couldn’t extend his scoring outburst to a third game. He went 3-of-16 from the field against the Cavaliers, finishing with 11 points as the Spurs fell behind by 21 after three quarters en route to a 97-86 loss.
Manu Ginobili is expected to miss at least another week with a right ankle injury, but Michael Finley has stepped up to give the Spurs another solid option besides Parker. He’s averaging 14.8 points and shooting 61.1 percent from 3-point range in his last four games.
The Blazers will be looking for their ninth straight win at the Rose Garden, and they’ll come home with a little momentum after losing at Houston and San Antonio to start a three-game road trip. Brandon Roy scored 19 points and Rudy Fernandez had 18 on Friday in a 102-82 victory over Minnesota.
“I’m very happy with our guys and the way they responded tonight,” McMillan said.
Roy, averaging a team-high 22.6 points, had 26 points and seven assists in a 100-99 win against San Antonio on Oct. 31—Portland’s first victory over the Spurs since Jan. 24, 2005. In Wednesday’s loss, though, he had 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 20.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in his last five games, carrying a front line that’s still without center Greg Oden. The No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft has missed the Blazers’ last six games with a bone chip in his left knee and won’t play Sunday.
Oden has yet to suit up against Duncan - the top pick in the draft 10 years earlier - and the Spurs.
Notes
Spurs:
San Antonio again played without F Tim Duncan and G Manu Ginobili. Duncan missed his third straight game with right quadriceps tendinitis, while Ginobili will be out the next few weeks with an ankle injury. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he was being careful with Duncan, even though the perennial All-Star most likely could have played. "He thinks he's ready. The trainers think he's ready, but if I'm going to err, I'm going to err on the side of caution," the coach said. ... San Antonio had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Blazers:
Portland has held Minnesota under 100 points in eight consecutive meetings. ... The win over Minnesota gave Portland its fourth consecutive winning month (7-6). ... The Blazers are 22-6 against teams with sub-.500 records this season. ... G Rudy Fernandez has hit a 3-pointer in 55 of 57 games this season -- the second-highest percentage in the NBA only behind Orlando F Rashard Lewis. ... The Blazers have won four in a row in Minneapolis.
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tim Duncan SA 20.7
Brandon Roy Por 22.6
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.7
Joel Przybilla Por 8.1
Assists
Tony Parker SA 6.7
Brandon Roy Por 5.2
Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
San Antonio 39-18 1st Southwest / 2nd West 97.4 93.6 Road 19-10 Lost 1 6-4
Portland 36-22 2nd Northwest / 5th West 99.0 95.0 Home 23-5 Won 1 6-4
Game info: 8:00 pm EST Sun Mar 1, 2009
TV: My35, CSNW
By Brett Huston
Tony Parker made sure the San Antonio Spurs didn’t miss Tim Duncan too much when they faced the Portland Trail Blazers last week.
They’d prefer if they didn’t have to try winning without Duncan again.
The Spurs have been without their biggest star for the past three games, but they’ll hope to get him back on the floor Sunday night when they look to beat the Trail Blazers for the 14th time in 15 games.
Duncan has been out since Tuesday, when his knee felt stiff before the Spurs (39-18) opened a three-game homestand, and on Wednesday he was diagnosed with a right quad injury.
Parker was brilliant in the first two games that Duncan was sidelined. He scored 37 points in a 93-76 victory over Dallas on Tuesday and had 39 against Portland (36-22) in a 99-84 win Wednesday.
“He was like a roadrunner blowing by us,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
San Antonio has won 13 of 14 and 20 of 22 against Portland.
Duncan showed no signs of pain while shooting jumpers at a morning workout Friday and was cleared by team doctors to return that night against Cleveland. But coach Gregg Popovich opted to leave Duncan on the bench for another game, saying that the two-time league MVP is “too important to us,” while speculating that the big man will return either Sunday in Portland or Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“If I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of caution,” Popovich said. “Tim doesn’t (sit) down much and when he said he couldn’t go on Tuesday, that says something to me. … Resting him makes me more comfortable.”
Parker couldn’t extend his scoring outburst to a third game. He went 3-of-16 from the field against the Cavaliers, finishing with 11 points as the Spurs fell behind by 21 after three quarters en route to a 97-86 loss.
Manu Ginobili is expected to miss at least another week with a right ankle injury, but Michael Finley has stepped up to give the Spurs another solid option besides Parker. He’s averaging 14.8 points and shooting 61.1 percent from 3-point range in his last four games.
The Blazers will be looking for their ninth straight win at the Rose Garden, and they’ll come home with a little momentum after losing at Houston and San Antonio to start a three-game road trip. Brandon Roy scored 19 points and Rudy Fernandez had 18 on Friday in a 102-82 victory over Minnesota.
“I’m very happy with our guys and the way they responded tonight,” McMillan said.
Roy, averaging a team-high 22.6 points, had 26 points and seven assists in a 100-99 win against San Antonio on Oct. 31—Portland’s first victory over the Spurs since Jan. 24, 2005. In Wednesday’s loss, though, he had 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 20.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in his last five games, carrying a front line that’s still without center Greg Oden. The No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft has missed the Blazers’ last six games with a bone chip in his left knee and won’t play Sunday.
Oden has yet to suit up against Duncan - the top pick in the draft 10 years earlier - and the Spurs.
Notes
Spurs:
San Antonio again played without F Tim Duncan and G Manu Ginobili. Duncan missed his third straight game with right quadriceps tendinitis, while Ginobili will be out the next few weeks with an ankle injury. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he was being careful with Duncan, even though the perennial All-Star most likely could have played. "He thinks he's ready. The trainers think he's ready, but if I'm going to err, I'm going to err on the side of caution," the coach said. ... San Antonio had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Blazers:
Portland has held Minnesota under 100 points in eight consecutive meetings. ... The win over Minnesota gave Portland its fourth consecutive winning month (7-6). ... The Blazers are 22-6 against teams with sub-.500 records this season. ... G Rudy Fernandez has hit a 3-pointer in 55 of 57 games this season -- the second-highest percentage in the NBA only behind Orlando F Rashard Lewis. ... The Blazers have won four in a row in Minneapolis.
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tim Duncan SA 20.7
Brandon Roy Por 22.6
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.7
Joel Przybilla Por 8.1
Assists
Tony Parker SA 6.7
Brandon Roy Por 5.2
Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
San Antonio 39-18 1st Southwest / 2nd West 97.4 93.6 Road 19-10 Lost 1 6-4
Portland 36-22 2nd Northwest / 5th West 99.0 95.0 Home 23-5 Won 1 6-4