Spurs At Clippers Previews

[duncan228]

San Antonio (39-19) at Los Angeles (15-45) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009030212&prov=ap)
Game info: 10:30 pm EST Mon Mar 2, 2009
TV: KENS, FSPT
By Jeff Mezydlo

The San Antonio Spurs haven’t lost three games in a row since the first week of the season. Facing the Los Angeles Clippers might prevent it from happening again.

With Tim Duncan back on the court, the Spurs look for their 11th straight victory over the lowly Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center.

After missing the previous three games with a quad injury, Duncan wasn’t much of a factor in San Antonio’s 102-84 loss at Portland on Sunday. The All-Star finished with 14 points and sat the entire fourth quarter.

“I hate to walk back into a situation like this and not play well and get blown out,” said Duncan, averaging 20.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.

Looking to avoid their first three-game skid since opening 2008-09 with three straight losses, the Spurs (39-19) might be able to limit Duncan’s minutes again, but for a better reason.

Los Angeles (15-45) has not beaten San Antonio since a 98-85 home win on March 7, 2006. The Spurs, who have won 10 straight and 18 of the last 19 games in the series, will try for their sixth straight road victory against the Clippers.

San Antonio has held Los Angeles to an average of 83.5 points in the last 10 meetings.

Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds in San Antonio’s 86-83 win at Los Angeles on Nov. 17. He had eight points with nine assists in the Spurs’ 106-84 home win over the Clippers on Jan. 8 - their most recent matchup.

While the Spurs don’t want to push Duncan, they could use him at his best, especially with star reserve Manu Ginobili expected to miss at least another week with an ankle injury.

The Southwest Division-leading Spurs are second in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Northwest Division-leading Denver.

San Antonio, which lost 97-86 at home to Cleveland on Friday, trailed 64-37 at halftime against Portland. The Spurs had allowed an average of 76.5 points in the four games prior to losing their last two.

“It shows possibly a laissez-faire sort of attitude,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Point guard Tony Parker had 15 points Sunday but only four assists. He was also held to 11 points and six assists against Cleveland after combining for 76 and 21 assists in his previous two games.

Parker scored a team-high 19 points in the Spurs’ January win over the Clippers.

Los Angeles looks to avoid a third straight loss after falling 100-95 at home to Charlotte on Saturday. Zach Randolph had 33 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 50.7 percent but committed 15 turnovers the Bobcats turned into 17 points.

“We shot over 50 percent for the game, but missed a lot of good shots,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. “The turnovers and second-chance points killed us.”

With star rookie point guard Eric Gordon likely to miss his third straight game with a bruised shoulder, Los Angeles may be forced to rely on Randolph (22.4 ppg) to score and help contain Duncan.

Randolph is averaging 25.3 points and 11 rebounds in his last four contests overall, but has totaled only 28 points in his last two games versus the Spurs.

Notes

Spurs:

Prior to Sunday's loss, San Antonio had won 20 of the past 22 contests against the Blazers. ... Spurs C Tim Duncan and Blazers C Greg Oden, both No. 1 draft picks 10 years apart, have yet to face one another in a regular season game. Oden missed the game with a bone chip in his left knee. ... Duncan returned after a three-game absence and scored 14 points. ... G Manu Ginobili missed his seventh straight game with a stress reaction in his ankle.

Clippers:

A roller-coaster week for the Clippers wound up with two downers. First, they defeated the defending champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday, then were clocked by Sacramento on Friday and finally blew a double-digit lead in loss to Charlotte on Saturday. ... F Zach Randolph had a huge game, going for 33 points and nine rebounds. Randolph took over the offensive in the fourth quarter, scoring and passing and willing the Clippers back into the game. ... F Al Thornton had 16 points in 41 minutes as he continues to work back into the lineup despite a sore foot. ... G Mike Taylor came off the bench to score 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field.

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Tim Duncan SA 20.7
Zach Randolph LAC 21.8

Rebounds

Tim Duncan SA 10.7
Marcus Camby LAC 12.6

Assists

Tony Parker SA 6.7
Baron Davis LAC 7.8

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

San Antonio 39-19 1st Southwest / 2nd West 97.2 93.7 Road 19-11 Lost 2 6-4

Los Angeles 15-45 4th Pacific / 13th West 95.1 103.4 Home 8-22 Lost 2 4-6

[m33p0]

have to win this one to stop the bleeding.

[duncan228]

Monday: Spurs (39-19) at Clippers (15-44) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Monday_Spurs_39-19_at_Clippers_15-44.html)
Express-News

Time: 9:30 p.m.
TV: KENS
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - CLIPPERS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 1 Baron Davis (6-3, 10th yr)
Davis has led Clippers in assists In 38 of 46 games he has played.

SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 2 Fred Jones (6-4, 7th yr)
Mason’s 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left beat Clippers on Nov. 17.

SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 25 Mardy Collins (6-6, 3rd yr)
Finley entered game in Portland having made 13 of previous 21 3-pt. attempts.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 50 Zach Randolph (6-9, 8th yr)
Randolph scored 30, had go-ahead basket with 19.4 remaining in win over Celtics.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 23 Marcus Camby (6-11, 13th yr)
Camby faces Spurs for first time since trade deadline, when they tried to get him.

SPURS RESERVES

12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
1 Malik Hairston, G, 6-6, 1st yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
7 Fabricio Oberto, C, 6-10, 4th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr
54 Pops Mensah-Bonsu, F, 6-8, 2nd yr

CLIPPERS RESERVES

3 Alex Acker, G, 6-5, 2nd yr
31 Ricky Davis, G/F, 6-1, 11th yr
10 Eric Gordon, G, 6-3, 1st yr
9 DeAndre Jordan, C, 6-11, 1st yr
35 Chris Kaman, C, 6-11, 6th yr
20 Steve Novak, F, 6-10, 3rd yr
8 Brian Skinner, F, 6-9, 11th yr
4 Mike Taylor, G, 6-2, 1st yr
12 Al Thornton, F, 6-8, 2nd yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Clippers: Mike Dunleavy

INJURIES

Spurs: Ian Mahinmi (right ankle surgery) and Manu Ginobili (stress reaction, right ankle) are out; Tim Duncan (right quadriceps tendonosis) is questionable.

Clippers: Chris Kaman (strained left arch) is out; Fred Jones (sore back) is questionable; Eric Gordon (bruised left shoulder) is doubtful.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Mahinmi, Ginobili, Vaughn

Clippers: Kaman, Gordon

NOTABLE

Clippers have lost their past two games, but their last victory was an upset of the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. ... Spurs have won both previous meetings with Clippers this season, 86-83 at Staples Center on Nov. 17, and 106-84, at the AT&T Center, on Jan. 8. ... Spurs have beaten Clippers in 10 straight games, last losing to them on March 7, 2006, 98-85 at Staples Center.

- Mike Monroe

[Austin_Toros]

Clippers beat Boston- don't forget that.
But some thoughts: Baron still can't shoot; Z-Bo is their main offensive weapon; Kaman still injured; CAMBY!

[Dex]

Dammit.

Tonight makes the fourth straight game that they aren't televising in the Austin area.

FSN hasn't had a game in ages, and KNVA is too busy showing reruns of Gossip Girls and 9021-fucking-0 to pickup the local Spurs broadcast.

:pctoss

[Rapper]

have to win this one to stop the bleeding.

Agreed

and duncan228,tonight will be the best night of your life:toast

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Mon. Mar. 2
San Antonio @ L.A. Clippers: B. Delaney, B. Adams, E. Roe

[Fermixalot]

A roller-coaster week for the Clippers wound up with two downers. First, they defeated the defending champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday, then were clocked by Sacramento on Friday and finally blew a double-digit lead in loss to Charlotte on Saturday

:nutkick:

[loveforthegame]

Spurs need this game. Not much seperation between us and the 6-7-8 seeds.

[duncan228]

Spurs hope to continue dominance of Clippers (http://sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/scores/live/pv10781.htm)

(Sports Network) - The Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs hope to snap a two-game skid Monday when they resume a three-game road trip in Los Angeles, aiming for their 11th straight win over the hapless Clippers.

The Spurs dropped their second straight game in Portland on Sunday when LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy scored 26 points apiece to lead the Trail Blazers in a 102-84 rout of San Antonio at the Rose Garden, spoiling the return of All-Star forward Tim Duncan.

Duncan had missed three games due to a right quad injury but returned to record 14 points over 25-plus minutes in the setback. Tony Parker added 15 points for the Spurs, who lost their second straight on the heels of a four- game win streak. Roger Mason added 13 points and George Hill 10.

On the injury front for the Spurs, star sixth man Manu Ginobili is expected to miss at least another week with an ankle injury.

San Antonio, which is now 19-11 as the visitor, will finish the trek against division rival Dallas on Wednesday. The Spurs lead Houston by two games in the Southwest and are one clear of Northwest Division-leading Denver for second place in the Western Conference playoff race.

The Clippers, meanwhile, dropped the opener of a five-game homestand on Saturday when Emeka Okafor poured in 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 100-95 victory over Los Angeles.

Zach Randolph notched a game-best 33 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have dropped five of seven overall. Al Thornton donated 16 points and Baron Davis 14 with six helpers in defeat.

Marcus Camby corralled 13 boards to go with his four points in the setback and Mike Taylor tied a career-high with 13 points for LA.

Rookie point guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss his third straight game for the Clippers tonight with a bruised shoulder.

The Clippers, who are a dismal 8-22 at home, will finish the homestand with games against Memphis, Indiana and Cleveland.

San Antonio, which hasn't lost three games in a row since opening the season 0-3, last lost to the Clips on March 7, 2006 in LA. The Spurs have won 18 of the last 19 games in the series and six straight against the Clips in Hollywood.

[duncan228]

Clippers vs. San Antonio - Game Preview (http://www.clipsnation.com/2009/3/2/777215/clippers-vs-san-antonio-ga)
by ClipperSteve

The Back Story:

November 17, 2008 in LA - San Antonio 86 - Clippers 83
January 8, 2009 in San Antonio - San Antonio 106 - Clippers 84

The Big Picture:

The Clippers crazy season continues, whether we like it or not. I'm glad the month of February is over - I don't think I could take much more of that (so let's hope March isn't repeat). February started with two embarrassing losses in Florida, followed by two blowout wins on the road, followed by an emabarrassing loss, followed by an overtime win before the All Star break. Coming out of the break, it was back to back nights allowing 140+ points to the Suns before it got REALLY ugly in Portland, those three losses themselves followed by back to back wins, the second being over the defending Champion Celtics. So how do you follow up a signature win? With a signature loss to the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings. They closed the month Saturday night at home with a loss to the Bobcats. March will likely not begin auspicely, given the Clippers traditional futility against the Spurs. And with Eric Gordon expected to miss this game (not to mention Fred Jones and Mardy Collins), it's going to be a difficult task indeed. I'm hoping that MDsr will start Mike Taylor next to Baron Davis in the backcourt. Ricky Davis is pointless, and not only is Taylor young and promising and in need of more playing time to help him develop, he also happens to be the one guy on the Clippers roster who has some hope of being able to keep up with Tony Parker.

The Antagonist:

The Clippers and Spurs have at least one thing in common - they were both completely blown out of the building in Portland the last two Sundays. The Blazers beat the Clippers 116-87 8 days ago, and they beat the Spurs 102-84 last night. So thanks for that, Blazers. No real chance the Spurs are going to come out flat against LA after what happened up north (they were down 64-37 at halftime - ouch). Tim Duncan returned to the Spurs lineup last night after missing three games with a quad injury, but they'll still be without Manu Ginobili, out with an ongoing ankle injury. With Ginobili out and Duncan hurting, the key to stop the Spurs is containing Tony Parker. Don't believe me? In the last 4 games, Parker has had 37 and 39 in Spurs wins (without Duncan) and 11 and 15 in Spurs losses. But the formula in San Antonio remains more or less the same as always. Play defense; put shooters on the floor; let Parker penetrate and either finish or kick; and when all else fails, just fall back on Duncan, the most fundamentally sound player in the league.

The Subplots:

Zach Randolph. Zach flew to Indiana to be with his critically ill father after the Charlotte game. Even if he returns in time (and it's unclear if he will), he could have a tough night going up against Tim Duncan. The best case scenario is he'll have taken two cross country flights in two days and will be physically and emotionally drained - or he might not make it back at all. And if Zach has a tough night, the Clippers are pretty certain to have a tough night.

Taylor versus Parker. He has a very, very long way to go, but the correct NBA role model for Mike Taylor will be in the building tonight. Tony Parker is incredibly quick and has an uncanny knack for finishing at the rim in traffic, despite the fact that he's only 6'2". Taylor is more or less the same size as Parker, and likewise relies on his speed and quickness. He also has the ability to finish at the rim. Mike Taylor is not Tony Parker - not by a long shot. But it's something to strive for.

50% shooting - in a loss. The Clippers shot 50% from the field against the Bobcats on Saturday night - and lost. That's the first time this season they've shot over 50% and not come away with the victory. Offensive rebounds for the Bobcats and turnovers by the Clippers resulted in significantly more shots for Charlotte. The Clippers can absolutely not afford for that to happen against the Spurs. They must take care of the ball, and they must take care of their defensive glass. It's going to be tough enough as it is.

Three point shooting. The Spurs start Roger Mason, who was out of the league for several years, Michael Finley, who probably should be out of the league via retiremen by now, and Matt Bonner, who never should have been in the league in the first place. What do these three have in common besides starting for the Spurs? They can all shoot the three. If you double Duncan in the post, or help on a Parker drive, your rotations have got to be perfect to get to these guys before they burn you.

No Excuses. The Clippers have gotten quite adept the last two seasons at making excuses for their poor showings, the overriding theme being injuries. And certainly the Clippers have had many, many injuries, and injuries do matter. Perhaps the one team in the league that puts the lie to that is the Spurs. Ginobili has missed 20 games and counting, Parker has missed 10, Duncan has missed 5 - but they still have the second best record in the Western Conference. The player days lost to injury is a whole different order of magnitude for the Clippers, but the Spurs prove nonetheless that you can go out there, even without you stars, and still compete.

Matchups. The matchups don't look overly favorable for the Clippers in this game. One that might be advantageous is Al Thornton. If he's aggressive and hitting his jumper reasonably well, Finley could have trouble defending him. Other than that, I think Baron has got to be aggressive in this game. Whether it's Parker or Mason defending against him, it's one of the better matchups on the floor for the Clippers. I hate to say it, but I think Baron needs to look for his own shot tonight - preferably going to the hole.
Back to back for the Spurs. The Spurs on the second game of a back to back, and the flight down from Portland is one of the longest ones the league's schedule makers will give a team on a back to back. So they could be tired - but not really. The game in Portland was over by halftime, and Popovich gave most of his players a lot of time off. I expect the Spurs to be fine, and extra motivated after being smoked by the Blazers.
Superstar for one game. Roger Mason. Mason won the first game of the season between these two teams when he sank a three on the Spurs final possession.

Movie Quote:

How all occasions do inform against me and spur my dull revenge. O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth. If I must strike you dead, I will.

--Wednesday Addams (an 11 year old Christina Ricci), The Addams Family, 1991

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Dammit.

Tonight makes the fourth straight game that they aren't televising in the Austin area.

FSN hasn't had a game in ages, and KNVA is too busy showing reruns of Gossip Girls and 9021-fucking-0 to pickup the local Spurs broadcast.

:pctoss

If you have Time Warner Digital Cable in Austin, do like I did and buy NBA League Pass (I think they have a $99 2nd half of the season deal) and you'll see all the games. They will tell you the games are blacked out, but they aren't. The even list them as "Blackout" in the program guide, but don't believe it.

[ttdog]

Dammit.

Tonight makes the fourth straight game that they aren't televising in the Austin area.

FSN hasn't had a game in ages, and KNVA is too busy showing reruns of Gossip Girls and 9021-fucking-0 to pickup the local Spurs broadcast.

:pctoss

The Spurs game is listed to be on KNVA at 9:30pm CST. Gossip Girl is on before that.

[duncan228]

(The Gooden info seems to all be in the Gooden threads).

Spurs vs. Clippers game chat (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/spursworld/2009/03/spurs-vs-clippers-game-chat.html)
By Joe Alexander

The Spurs play the Clippers tonight at 9:30 in Los Angeles. Join us for a live game chat beginning at 9 p.m.

Tim Duncan returned to the Spurs' lineup on Sunday night after missing the previous three games with a sore knee.
The Internet is heating up with speculation that Drew Gooden will soon be a Spur:

John Hollinger, ESPN
Big man Drew Gooden, who was waived by the Kings on Sunday, might want to be a Spur.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090302

Hoopsvibe
Drew Gooden agreed to a buyout with the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs are the favorite to sign him for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba/nba-news/drew-gooden-to-sign-with-spurs-ar50194.html

Andrew Katz, Dime
All signs point to San Antonio picking up veteran forward Drew Gooden.
http://dimemag.com/2009/03/drew-gooden-out-of-sacramento-to-san-antonio/

Gooden is listed as a 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward. He is in his seventh season and averages 12.1 points and 8.0 rebounds for his career. He is averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds this season in 31 games for the Chicago Bulls and one game for the Sacramento Kings.

[Dex]

The Spurs game is listed to be on KNVA at 9:30pm CST. Gossip Girl is on before that.

Well shut my mouth wide open.

I checked this morning before I left for work, guess I forgot it was a late game. But the story checks out online. Thanks!

You got lucky this time KNVA!!!! :lol

[VI_Massive]

I've never been happier to hear we're playing the Clippers.

[duncan228]

I'm pretty happy we're playing the Clippers. In LA. :)

[Dex]

I'm pretty happy we're playing the Clippers. In LA. :)

I hope you have a great time!

[VI_Massive]

I'm pretty happy we're playing the Clippers. In LA. :)

Here's hoping we aren't eating those words later tonight.

[duncan228]

I hope you have a great time!

Thanks Dex. I don't think there's any doubt I will. :)


Here's hoping we aren't eating those words later tonight.

I won't. It's my first time seeing Duncan play in person, even if they somehow lose I don't think it will dampen my night. Winning is always preferred, but tonight it's secondary for me.

[Behrooz24]

I like the late tipoff time.
2 hours of 24 then spurs right after! http://smiliesftw.com/x/turboboink.gif (http://smiliesftw.com)

[PuttPutt]

I hope we win this one.

[MarHill]

This will be a bounce-back game for the Spurs. But the Clippers will play tougher tonight.

[Brazil]

I'm 34 today, I hope the spurs win this game with a monster performance of TP, it would be a nice gift !