Spurs at Jazz Previews

[duncan228]

San Antonio (9-8) at Utah (11-8) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009120726&prov=ap)
Game info: 9:00 pm EST Mon Dec 7, 2009
TV: National: NBATV Away: My35 Home: FSN-Utah
By Anthony Giornalista

After their first loss in five games, the Utah Jazz are opening one their most daunting weeks of the season. The San Antonio Spurs, though, have hardly been living up to their usual billing as a tough opponent.

The Jazz, coming off one their worst games defensively, look to win their third game against the struggling Spurs this season Monday night.

Though it shot 50.0 percent, Utah (11-8) couldn’t keep up with Minnesota in a 108-101 loss Saturday night. The Jazz held their previous four opponents to 93 points or fewer, but struggled against one of the NBA’s worst offensive teams.

“I think we feel about as bad as you can feel,” said coach Jerry Sloan, whose club allowed Minnesota to shoot 57.1 percent. “If you can’t guard anybody better than that, I don’t know how you can even expect to win.”

Utah needs to be particularly sharp this week as it plays four games in six days. That stretch includes three matchups with last season’s NBA finalists - two with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with Orlando.

“This is a pretty tough stretch for us. That’s where we’re at,” point guard Deron Williams said. “We’ve had some good wins, but a lot have come against teams that don’t have winning records. We have to see how we do against the top in the league.”

While San Antonio (9-8) usually poses problems for most teams, it has lost its twice to Utah this season and dropped two in a row overall as it struggles to get on track.

The Spurs, however, will face a Jazz team that could be without Andrei Kirilenko (back) again. The veteran forward didn’t play against the Timberwolves, and his status is uncertain.

Utah, though, might get some frontcourt help with Kyle Korver getting close to making his season debut following knee surgery. Korver averaged 9.0 points off the bench for the Jazz last season.

San Antonio held five of its previous seven opponents to 90 points or fewer before a 106-99 defeat to Northwest Division-leading Denver on Saturday night.

It was the Spurs’ second loss to a division leader in three days. San Antonio had 19 turnovers versus the Nuggets, matching its total from Thursday night’s 90-83 loss to Boston, the Atlantic Division’s top team.

“Way too many,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “We are a 10 or an eight (turnover team). That’s when we are at our best.”

San Antonio ended a monthlong stand in Texas. The Spurs, who went 7-5 during that stretch, will be playing their first game out of their home state since a 96-84 loss to Portland on Nov. 6.

San Antonio is 1-4 on the road, averaging 90.8 points and shooting 29.5 percent from 3-point range. Tim Duncan, though, has had two straight strong games away from the AT&T Center, averaging 21.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.0 blocks.

*********************

Injuries

San Antonio

M. Finley Ankle

Utah

M. Harpring Knee
A. Kirilenko Back
K. Korver Knee
R. Price Toe

*********************

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Tim Duncan SA 18.9
Carlos Boozer Uta 20.9

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.8
Carlos Boozer Uta 11.1

Assists
Tony Parker SA 5.6
Deron Williams Uta 9.9

[crc21209]

Utah plays like a team that has won multiple championships when they play at home :lol. So this isnt going to be easy at all...

[murpjf88]

Utah plays like a team that has won multiple championships when they play at home :lol. So this isnt going to be easy at all...

And the spurs play like cripples on the road. This is another loss.

[Muser]

I look forward to some more meltdown threads.

[poop]

Tim Duncan, though, has had two straight strong games away from the AT&T Center, averaging 21.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.0 blocks.


seriously, what more can you say about tim duncan. we are so lucky to have him

[duncan228]

San Antonio at Utah (http://sltrib.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-preview.aspx?page=/data/NBA/matchups/g5_preview_9.html)
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 7, 2009
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

Quick Hits

Overall Team Offense


* The Utah Jazz are ranked 12 on offense, averaging 101.2 points per game. The Jazz shooting percentages include 49.5 FG%, 74.9 FT%, and 33.5 three point % so far this season.

* The San Antonio Spurs are ranked 15 on offense, averaging 99.9 points per game. The Spurs shooting percentages include 46.5 FG%, 74.3 FT%, and 35.7 three point % so far this season.

Home and Away


* The Utah Jazz are 8-3 at home this season, and 5-6 against Western opponents.

* At home the Jazz are averaging 104.2 scoring, and holding teams to 96.7 points scored on defense.

* The San Antonio Spurs are 1-4 while on the road this season, and 5-6 against Western opponents.

* On the road, the Spurs are averaging 90.8 scoring, and holding teams to 96.8 points scored on defense.


http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/jazz1.jpg

Stats and Records

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/jazz2.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/jazz3.jpg

[balli]

This is how you know it's bad Spurs fans- After a crushing loss to the pesky Minnesota Wolves, I'm looking forward to the chance to get back on our feet vs. the Spurs. lol

In all seriousness- Utah's going to win, but it's still December. Y'all should try to take it easy after the game.

[TD 21]

As soon as the Spurs lost to the Celtics (I felt they'd win beforehand), I had the feeling that they'd drop the next two and end up back at .500. Then they'll somewhat comfortably (and maybe even convincingly in one) beat the Kings and the Bobcats and people will think what ails them is cured; it won't be.

With Finley injured, Pop will have no choice but to shorten the rotation to, at the very least, 10 men. Since he has an aversion to playing Ratliff (I guess you're not allowed to be over 6'9'' unless your name is Duncan) more than once every 3-5 games and since he's already having trouble finding minutes for Mason, my guess is Hairston won't play either.

Boozer is playing out of his mind for the past month, desperately trying to fool some poor sap into overpaying him next summer (which will inevitably happens when most, if not all teams, swing and miss on the big fishes) and Bonner/Blair have no business guarding him. Which, of course, means Bonner will see an inordinate amount of time attempting to guard him and getting repeatedly torched. McDyess's defense will be huge in this one.

Hopefully, Pop plays sensible lineups, the turnovers are kept to a minimum and the Spurs have a quality shooting night from the land beyond.

[ElNono]

This is how you know it's bad Spurs fans- After a crushing loss to the pesky Minnesota Wolves, I'm looking forward to the chance to get back on our feet vs. the Spurs. lol

In all seriousness- Utah's going to win, but it's still December. Y'all should try to take it easy after the game.

We're winning this one... :ihit

[Tito_Trinidad]

Rude awekening: Spurs losing again. Being a Spurs fan doesnt mean to be a blind fan. Spurs fighting for the 8 playoff spot is remote. Rude awakening !!!

[benefactor]

Getting this one in Utah will go a long ways towards putting these last two very forgettable home losses behind us.

[Whisky Dog]

Already dropped 2 to the Jazz this year, see nothing that makes me think it won't be 3.

[Bukefal]

We're going to win this one. I hope Jefferson shows a bit more and I really want to see Blair having more minutes.

I can't wait :flag:

[ffadicted]

There's no way we leave utah with a record above .500

[HarlemHeat37]

I predicted losses in our last 2 games vs. Boston and Denver, but I think we're going to win with one..losing to Utah 3 times in a row would set off an alarm, we usually own Utah in the Duncan era..

[duncan228]

Jazz open tough week tonight (http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_13940624)
By Ross Siler
The Salt Lake Tribune

As he made clear before Saturday's game in Minnesota, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan needs no reminders about his team's upcoming schedule, a four-game, six-day stretch that promises to be anything but an early holiday present.

"I don't have to look ahead," Sloan said, with the Jazz set to play San Antonio, Orlando and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers twice. "Everybody tells me."

From the day the schedule was announced, the second week of December loomed as perhaps the Jazz's toughest all season. The Magic and Lakers met in June's NBA Finals, with the Spurs joining them on the short list of this season's title contenders.

"This is a pretty tough stretch for us," Deron Williams admitted. "But it's a good test for us as well to see where we're at. We've had some good wins, but against a lot of teams that don't have winning records. So let's see how we do against the top in the league."

The Jazz squandered some of the momentum they built during a 5-1 homestand with a disappointing road loss to the Timberwolves, who own the Western Conference's worst record at 3-17 and endured a 15-game losing streak in the season's first month.

So far this season, the Jazz are just 3-7 against teams that came into Sunday with winning records. Two of those victories came against the Spurs, whom the Jazz will play tonight for the third time in the season's first 20 games.

"That's the reason why you play basketball," Carlos Boozer said, "to play against the best teams in the league, and we've got three of them [this] week."

The loss to the Wolves also continued a trend for the Jazz. They are 0-7 when giving up 100 points or more -- Minnesota scored 108 points on 57.1 percent shooting Saturday -- compared with 11-1 when opponents fail to reach the century mark.

Playing their first road game in two weeks, the Jazz struggled against the Wolves. They went 2-for-16 from three-point range, failed to block a shot and committed 14 turnovers (beneath their season average of 14.8), which Minnesota still converted into 25 points.

"That's what happens, I think," Williams said. "You get comfortable at home and then you've got to go on the road and you start panicking a little bit."

Sloan was dismayed by his team's play to close the second quarter Saturday. After the second unit built a 14-point lead, Sloan brought back Williams and Boozer for the final four minutes of the half only to watch the Jazz fall apart, giving up an 11-0 run.

"We executed our offense with that one group that got in that ballgame," Sloan said. "We executed, threw the ball where you've got to go and didn't make up our mind what we were going to do before we did it."

Sloan called timeouts with 1:54 left in the first half as well as 2:05 into the second half -- something to which he is not predisposed -- but the Jazz couldn't snap out of their downward cycle.

They took Sunday off after playing back-to-back games, but the Jazz can look ahead to a challenging December between this week's schedule and their upcoming five-game pre-Christmas trip. Two seasons ago, the Jazz went 5-11 for the month.

"The big thing is hopefully you come back and get ready to play the next game," Sloan said. "That's the way this business is. It comes at you fast and furious and hopefully you've got your mind set to play the game and not be feeling sorry for yourself about this game.

"You have to have some toughness of being able to fight back and play forward and not backwards."

*********************

Jazz vs. San Antonio
At EnergySolutions Arena

Records » Jazz 11-8; San Antonio 9-8

Last meeting: » Jazz won 90-83 on Nov. 19

Line: » Utah by 31/2

About the Jazz: » With a victory tonight, the Jazz would win the series against the Spurs for the first time since the 1997-98 season. ... Andrei Kirilenko's availability is uncertain because of tightness in his back.

About the Spurs: » The Spurs have dropped consecutive home games to Boston and Denver after a five-game winning streak . ... Michael Finley wasn't expected to make the trip after spraining an ankle in Saturday's loss to Denver.

[Danny.Zhu]

Tough game. I think Spurs can win this one.

[duncan228]

Utah Jazz: Team starts tough week with Spurs (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705349686/Utah-Jazz-Team-starts-tough-week-with-Spurs.html)
By Tim Buckley
Deseret News

After having it relatively easy the past couple weeks — a six-game homestand in which they went 5-1, and a one-game trip Saturday night to Minnesota in which they gave one away to the lowly Timberwolves — times get decidedly rockier for the Jazz in nights to come.

Utah's week ahead features four games in six nights, starting with a visit tonight from San Antonio.

Three games in four nights follow, all against last season's NBA finalists: a road game against the defending-champion Los Angeles Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, a home game against runner-up Orlando on Thursday night and a rematch visit Saturday night by the Lakers.

"This is a pretty tough stretch for us," point guard Deron Williams said.

"But it's a good test for us as well to see where we're at," he added. "We've had some good wins, but against a lot of teams that don't have winning records. So let's see how we do against the top of the league."

First up for the 11-8 Jazz — whose five homestand victories included four over opponents (Detroit, Chicago, Memphis and Indiana) that currently have losing record — is San Antonio.

The Spurs are only 9-8, and Utah already beaten them twice this season.

But the Jazz haven't won a season series from San Antonio since the 1997-98 NBA season, and the Spurs are 29-8 in their last 35 regular-season games vs. Utah — including a 20-game home win streak that ended just last month.

Playing again for San Antonio are Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, both of whom missed that Nov. 18 win there with injuries.

And the Jazz, oh by the way, haven't won three straight over the Spurs since that '97-98 season.

Wednesday's visit with the Pacific Division-leading Lakers, who eliminated Utah from the first round of last season's NBA playoffs 4-1, is followed by a TNT-televised game with the Southeast Division-leading Magic.

Before addressing all that, though, the Jazz first have to shake Saturday's loss to a Minnesota team that had lost 17 of its first 19 games — and one that finished by scoring on 11 of its final 12 fourth-quarter possessions.

"I haven't thought about the (week) ahead," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "I just thought about the loss."

Sloan tried to put it in perspective.

"It's only one loss; not 82 games," he said. "The big thing is hopefully we come back and get ready to play the next game. That's the way this business is. It comes at you fast and furious, and hopefully you've got your mind set to play the game and not be feeling sorry for yourself about this game.

"That's the tough thing, is being able to fight back and play forward — and not backward."

Clearing the head and focusing on the future, though, sometimes is easier said than done.

"I guess we weren't determined enough," Williams said after the unexpected defeat to the Timberwolves. "It looked like they wanted the game a little more than we did."

The loss ended a four-game losing streak for the Jazz, who just finished playing three games in four nights and now face another three in four.

"It's very tough," Williams said in Minnesota. "We wanted to make it five in a row, we wanted to get this one on the road, where we've struggled the last couple years. We've just got to let it go and just focus on these next ones now."

"We'll bounce back from it," power forward Carlos Boozer added. "We're not gonna let this linger. We've got to keep our heads up and keep going forward."

Boozer called the week ahead one filled with games against "elite teams."

"We can't keep our heads down," he said after long sigh. "You know, we've got to keep our heads up and keep fighting together. We've got a big week this week.

"It's a good week. It's a great week (to prove something)," Boozer added. "We've got four great games. . . . This is the reason why you play basketball — to play against the best teams in the league. And we've got three of them (this) week."

[duncan228]

Monday: Spurs (9-8) at Jazz (11-8) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Monday_Spurs_9-8_at_Jazz_11-8.html)

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

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - JAZZ

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 9th yr) - 8 Deron Williams (6-3, 5th yr)
Williams is No. 2 in NBA in assists (9.9 per game)

SG - 10 Keith Bogans, 6-5, 10th yr - 23 Wesley Matthews (6-5, 1st yr)
Matthews scored season-high 18 vs. Pacers on Dec. 4

SF - 24 Richard Jefferson (6-7, 9th yr) - 9 Ronnie Brewer (6-7, 4th yr)
Jefferson is 0 for 6 at foul line, 7 for 22 from field in last two games

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 5 Carlos Boozer (6-9, 8th yr)
Boozer had double-double (21 pts., 13 reb.) in Saturday loss to T’Wolves

C - 34 Antonio McDyess (6-10, 15th yr) - 13 Mehmet Okur (6-11, 8th yr)
McDyess hasn’t scored in three games since double-double at Houston

SPURS RESERVES

8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 6th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 2nd yr
15 Matt Bonner, 6-10, 6th yr
45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
4 Michael Finley, F, 6-7, 15th yr
42 Theo Ratliff, F/C, 6-10, 15th yr
28 Ian Mahinmi, F/C, 6-11, 3rd yr
22 Marcus Haislip, F, 6-10, 4th yr
17 Ronnie Price, G, 6-2, 5th yr

JAZZ RESERVES

44 Kyrylo Fesenko, C, 7-1, 3rd yr
47 Andrei Kirilenko, F, 6-9, 9th yr
26 Kyle Korver, G, 6-7, 7th yr
41 Kosta Koufos, C, 7-0, 2nd yr
3 Eric Maynor, G, 6-3, 1st yr
34 C.J. Miles, F, 6-6, 5th yr
24 Paul Millsap, F, 6-8, 4th yr

COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Jazz: Jerry Sloan

INJURIES

Spurs: Finley (sprained left ankle) is out
Jazz: Korver (left knee) is probable; Price (sprained toe) is doubtful

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Mahinmi, Finley
Jazz: Price

NOTABLE

Jazz already have defeated Spurs twice this season, most recently on Nov. 19 at the AT&T Center ... Jazz announced retirement of oft-injured 11-year veteran Matt Harpring last week ... By scoring 26 points in Saturday’s game, Duncan moved past Walter Davis into 38th place on NBA’s all-time scoring list. He now has 19,529 career points ... Bonner made only 1-of-9 3-pointers in the Spurs’ losses to Celtics and Nuggets.

- Mike Monroe

[Chomag]

"This is a pretty tough stretch for us," Deron Williams admitted. "But it's a good test for us as well to see where we're at. We've had some good wins, but against a lot of teams that don't have winning records. So let's see how we do against the top in the league."

How come Williams isn't saying it's only december and these games don't matter. What a dumb dumb.

[murpjf88]

"This is a pretty tough stretch for us," Deron Williams admitted. "But it's a good test for us as well to see where we're at. We've had some good wins, but against a lot of teams that don't have winning records. So let's see how we do against the top in the league."

How come Williams isn't saying it's only december and these games don't matter. What a dumb dumb.

Utah is hardly an elite team.

[Bartleby]

Manu is overdue for a big game. I think Spurs will win this one.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Tough game, no doubt. But I am going to *guarantee* a Spurs victory. Believe that Tim Duncan and Manu (especially) will play like men possessed. This game is bound to be a turning point, something tells me.

And I liked the Spurs performance in general against Boston and Denver. They didn't result in wins, but there were much to be positive about.

[024]

if the spurs lose, all hell will break loose on spurstalk.

[Texas_Ranger]

Duncan will be great, but others will suck... I think we'll lose.

[ManuTastic]

Utah is good at home, we are baaad on the road.

But...

Utah is probably looking past this game to the two vs. LA and one vs. Orlando. In their minds, SA is the gimme of their tough week. So it might be possible to snakebite them with a quality outing. But only if take care of the G-D ball.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Mon. Dec 7
San Antonio @ Utah: Eddie F. Rush; Pat Fraher; David Guthrie