Game Blog: 12/16 - Spurs vs. Warriors

[z0sa]

When Bogans is scoring, the spacing is so much wider; more evident.

[Chieflion]

Bogans for 3!

[Spurs Brazil]

Bogans on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bdictjames]

KB!!!!!!!!!!!!! For 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is Bogan's jersey number everyone?

[pawe]

Maggete guarding TD, the spurs should feed TD everytime til he gets 34839487 points against him.

[EmptyMan]

RJ is starting to fit in. Looks ugly but works. :toast

[ehz33satx]

Watching the last few minutes of the game, Timmy D is one bad mofo!

[Libri]

Run the offense through Tim!

[Spurs Brazil]

RJ and one!

[pawe]

that's a make up call for Dice, idiot warrior announcers.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Anyone think part of TP's problem might be Pop turning the offense over to him? Maybe Pop should go back to calling everything?

[mystargtr34]

There you go Dick. Crash the glass now and then... your 6'8" 240.

[Ice009]

I disagree. RJ is a better long distance shooter, and hes a better creator off the dribble, and a better passer. If Jefferson was with the Warriors playing that up and down no defense 120 possession a game basketball - he could be a 22-7-4 player. Maggette's stats are inflated.

I don't give a fuck what RJ would do on the Warriors. Maggette would be a better fit here and give us more than RJ has so far.

[Ditty]

wasnt radmonivich supposed to be the next dirk nowitzki they said lol

[ElNono]

I wish Bonner would learn how to take a charge... I know, wishful thinking

[DesignatedT]

oh my god bonner. what was that. softttttttttttttttttttttttttttt. we get tim having a monster block 1 on 3 then bonner with that move.... see the difference? hahahhaa

[EmptyMan]

Duncan, you don't have the Bonner-like handles to pull that off. :lol

/sarcasm

[Chieflion]

wasnt radmonivich supposed to be the next dirk nowitzki they said lol
It is Ersan Ilyasova.

[mystargtr34]

I don't give a fuck what RJ would do on the Warriors. Maggette would be a better fit here and give us more than RJ has so far.

Why do you think that? He cant shoot the three and he doesnt create anything for anybody else.

[pawe]

That's because POP is anal about fouling players, idiot warrior announcers

[L.I.T]

Anyone think part of TP's problem might be Pop turning the offense over to him? Maybe Pop should go back to calling everything?

Good thought. Call more plays from the bench as everyone gets more comfortable with each other then slowly turn the team back over to TP as he gets healthier and more comfortable.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

:lol where do u play... Victoria?

I live in Canberra. I play the local A-grade men's comp. Only just started playing comp again, and to be honest I'd forgotten what an excellent defender I am. I'm totally shutting down opponent big men. My guy last week scored 1pt on me. I know how Radman feels though, because lately nothing but layups will fall for me on offense. Tonight I'm just gonna stick to the lunchpail stuff.

[Spurs Brazil]

Tim Duncan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

when is pop gonna put blair in on spaghetti?

[bdictjames]

Duncan has 19 and 12 already.

[cnyc3]

GS announcers is a breath of fresh air after the suns.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Bonner is actually the worst player I've ever seen at taking charges..we have some good floppers involved with the Spurs, somebody teach him a thing or 2..

That should've been a charge. He was robbed. He is often robbed.

[DesignatedT]

wow. please get bonner out. pathetic defense

[timtonymanu]

TD has so much heart. Wish some of the other players had some too.

[45 bank shot]

I agree with the Warriors commentator, "Maggette has owned BOnner"

[Chomag]

What ahppned to blair?

[Spurs Brazil]

Tim Duncan is dominating this game

[Chieflion]

C.J Watson and Monta Ellis are playing the whole game.

[ElNono]

The other problem Matt has going for him is that refs do not respect him... and that's just not going to change... Not his fault really, but a reality we need to deal with

[007nites]

Timmy is playing like a monster and he is putting up some monster stats again

[z0sa]

Bonner usually never fouls, they just call bullshit, and that was definitely a charge

[007nites]

No one can stop timmy in the post because hes just so strong

[DPG21920]

Ducks what is the ratio of 2 assists to 5 turn overs :lol

[ElNono]

Why no Blair already?

[Chomag]

Freaking Bonner lol

[bdictjames]

#21 has 21.

[ElNono]

Stupid Manu TO

[Spurs Brazil]

back to back TOs

[urunobili]

Stupid Manu TO

:pctoss

[Chomag]

Pop going back to super small ball.

[z0sa]

I wish the refs weren't incredibly inconsistent and calling fouls that shouldn't be called and not calling fouls that should be called

[Spurs Brazil]

3 straight TOs

It seems automatic, we have a big lead, let's start TOs

[DesignatedT]

cmon george, stop playing lazy basketball

[alchemist]

:lol @ Ginobili

[cnyc3]

Blair needs to hug the ball ala manu when rebounding

[ElNono]

One of these days I would love to see the Duncan/Blair duo playing together...

[DesignatedT]

thank you, get bonner out

[siraulo23]

here's another horrible stretch~

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

here come the warriors

[Libri]

another TO

[ElNono]

Too unselfish... Shoot the damn ball!

[Spurs Brazil]

4th straight

Unbelievable

[urunobili]

4 consecutive TO's

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Maggette doing EXACTLY what we'd hoped RJ would do. :depressed

[ffadicted]

Duncan out of the game = Spurs getting shit on. Makes you feel really good about him retiring

[bdictjames]

Manu on the stripe.

[bdictjames]

We are playing careless basketball, the team should just get together and be on the same page; go to dinner together or something.

[pawe]

There was a time when the Spurs were so good in closing in on driving players. sigh

[Chieflion]

I went to take a dump and a quick shower, and the lead is sliced in half.

[EmptyMan]

Blair choked out a Polar Bear before the game tonight.

Cut the man some slack.

[timtonymanu]

it's sad to see that this team has so much talent but is clearly a one man show. Duncan is the only that brings it every night.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

When TP frowns he looks like a Vulcan! :lmao

Don't worry, TP, some of us still love you and know you'll turn it around. :tu

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

lol are they booing Vlad when he comes back in lol?

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

oh nice the curry kid w/ 5 fouls

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Manu can't get past his man again tonight.

[Chomag]

Hairston in for 7 seconds lol

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

here come the pop's notorious extreme small ball

[ElNono]

Why did Blair got canned?

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs up 9 after the 3rd

[Libri]

lol are they booing Vlad when he comes back in lol?

He's 0-8.

[DesignatedT]

HAIRSTONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[024]

why does popovich insist on mindfucking with hairston?!?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

We are 10-1 leading into the 4th.

[ElNono]

Hairston sighting...

[mystargtr34]

Need Duncan back in by the 10 minute mark, that will have him at 34 minutes by the end of the game, which is fine.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hairston in for 7 seconds lol

If he doesn't play again, it's a Super Mario! :lol

[Chieflion]

We are 10-1 leading into the 4th.
Does that mean that this year's team is not resilient enough to come from behind for a win?

[Chomag]

why does popovich insist on mindfucking with hairston?!?

Because he has some athletic in him. Pop just wants to beat that out of him :lol

[ElNono]

And we went smallball again... RJ for Blair... Even though Blair had nothing to do with the turnovers... :pctoss

I really don't get Pop AT ALL..

[pawe]

why does popovich insist on mindfucking with hairston?!?

Because Pop is bffs with Larry Brown. They exchange texts on how to fuck with newbies.

[bdictjames]

We are 10-1 leading into the 4th.
For the pessimists of this forum:

That means we're 2-8 not leading. This team has no heart to come back anymore. :lol

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

We are playing careless basketball, the team should just get together and be on the same page; go to dinner together or something.

How about paintballing, followed by body-shots at a strip club? Let's get some REAL bonding going on! :lmao

[mystargtr34]

I cant get my head around playing two bigs on the floor against this Warriors lineup, when one of the bigs doesnt have an offensive mismatch against anyone on the Warrioirs. It serves no purpose. Its more beneficial to have Hill out there with Manu and Tony so those three can guard Ellis, Curry and Morrow. RJ on Maggette, and your lone big to rebound, preferably Duncan or Blair.

[Chieflion]

Randolph owns Blair.

[ElNono]

Back to small ball and playing to their strengths... WTF?

[Chieflion]

Manu Ginobili joining the turnover party again.

[alchemist]

Turnobili at it again :toast

[EmptyMan]

Blair DO WORK SON

[ElNono]

Goddammit

[pawe]

what the fuck Blair against 3 warriors. lol

[Spurs Brazil]

Rj 333333333333333333

[bdictjames]

How about paintballing, followed by body-shots at a strip club? Let's get some REAL bonding going on! :lmao
Strip club? These players have wives.. but yes that could get Parker going. maybe he's having bed issues with Eva. :lol

[ElNono]

Is Tim coming back soon?

[Chieflion]

Is RJ going to score only in the 4th?

[EmptyMan]

Nice D Mason

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

blair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[024]

damn, blair is good.

[Libri]

Good job Blair!

[bdictjames]

Did Roger Mason just block somebody? WHAT

[ffadicted]

Our bench is goooooooooood

[Spurs Brazil]

Blair!!!!!

[ElNono]

Blair being a man again

[pawe]

Blair should play the whole 4th. Warriors cant rebound the ball for shit.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

LOL @ Randolph ignoring nellie

[mytespurs]

Turnobili at it again :toast

:lol:lol

I shouldn't laugh...Ginobili is my favorite!

[timtonymanu]

Good job RJ! But I need to see this against real teams before you make me a fan.

[Pauleta14]

blair has more assists than tony...

[Chieflion]

LOL @ Randolph ignoring nellie
If I were Randolph, I would ignore that dumbfuck too.

[ElNono]

Tony in, Manu out

[bdictjames]

For how crazy Pop is, Spurs fans should be thankful we don't have Nelson as a coach. Imagine TP and Manu playing the whole game without rest.

[EmptyMan]

Gotta shoot that hill

[Spurs Brazil]

Did Roger Mason just block somebody? WHAT

I cant believe i'm saying this but Mason is playing great D tonight

[Danny.Zhu]

Where mini ball happens.

[mystargtr34]

Good to see George getting some assists and creating. He has awfully low rebound and assist numbers this season for a guy playing 25 minutes a night.

[mytespurs]

Our bench is goooooooooood

Too bad the starting crew, w/exception of Timmy, is playing that blech!

[raspsa]

Mason with some good defense

[007nites]

Get timmy back in there

[Chieflion]

For how crazy Pop is, Spurs fans should be thankful we don't have Nelson as a coach. Imagine TP and Manu playing the whole game without rest.
It is amazing how Ellis and Watson still have so much energy running the break when they haven't got any gametime rest yet.

[Danny.Zhu]

PG Parker
SG Mason
SF Hill
PF Richarson
CF Blair

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

why is pop trying to get TP into the game when he is clearly not in good shape

[DesignatedT]

terrible offense. george hill is a little turnover machine himself at times.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Fuck. On that last fastbreak George was wide open for an alley-oop at the rim. Get your heads up, ballhandlers!


Does that mean that this year's team is not resilient enough to come from behind for a win?

Yes, and...


For the pessimists of this forum:

That means we're 2-8 not leading. This team has no heart to come back anymore. :lol

Yes.

[Pauleta14]

here it is !!! 20 TOs.....

[Pauleta14]

Tony's back in..is that good or bad?..

definetely BAD

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

i hate when any of our guards drives, everyone just stand around watching

[Chieflion]

Fuck. On that last fastbreak George was wide open for an alley-oop at the rim. Get your heads up, ballhandlers!



Yes, and...



Yes.
Well, this also means the Spurs can keep a lead. They can't blow more games away.

[Ice009]

damn, blair is good.

You did it Ruff. On one of those Blair offensive rebounds and put backs I just shouted out Grizzly. It just came out, I didn't even think about it. I haven't really called him Grizzly this season, but it just came automatically that time. lol.

[bdictjames]

definetely BAD
BAD ASS she meant

Parker will turn it up at the fourth

For this and my fantasy league. :lol

[Danny.Zhu]

here it is !!! 20 TOs.....

Fuck.

[ffadicted]

lol @ all the people complaining about Gino's turnovers and crazy/questionable plays.

Have you guys ever watched him play :king It's how super Gino rolls yo'... the good outweighs the bad

[Spurs Brazil]

Tim DUncan!

[EmptyMan]

RJ said KAPLOWWWWW

[ffadicted]

Rj!!!!!!!!

[pawe]

Dick with a flush!

[L.I.T]

That's good. Attack.

[itzsoweezee]

Holy shit

[alchemist]

RJ just skeeted all over/inside you haters :lol

[siraulo23]

well that was a good sequence

[mVp]

Omfg! Rj!

[Spurs Brazil]

RJ finally driving

[bdictjames]

Timmy!

[Libri]

Take that!!! :ihit

[Chieflion]

Both Richard Jefferson's dunks in the 2nd half come from Maggette trying to cheat away from him, resulting in a baseline drive.

[Ice009]

LOL that was a pretty vicious dunk from RJ.

[bbarry]

timmy forced rj to give him head after that dunk :lmao

[ElNono]

Tim back in... Let's close this shit.. LOL at Dick showing up now...

[raspsa]

Power dunk RJ!!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

WTF woke RJ up??? Good to see, but why do we only see it every 5 games?

If Manu and TP ever get to 80%+ again consistently, we'll be a force.

[007nites]

Timmay!

[DesignatedT]

now RJ wants to drive THANKYOU!!!!

[L.I.T]

RJeff seems to get more comfortable when he gets some time in the post; if I was watching the game correctly, it seems he had some post opportunities in the second half.

[bdictjames]

Duncan has 21 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in 26 minutes. nasty.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

i wonder what get RJ to show up in the second half humm CIA POP :hat

[45 bank shot]

wow RJ nasty reverse

[EmptyMan]

RJ just skeeted all over/inside you haters :lol

lmao, he should look into the camera and just go "awwwww skeeeet skeeeet skeeeeet" after a dunk like that

[ElNono]

BTW, is it just me or Mason was a no show in the 2nd half?

[007nites]

21, 14, 5, and 5 for duncan tonight

[anonoftheinternets]

rjjjjjjjjjj impressed.

[Johnny RIngo]

RJ just skeeted all over/inside you haters :lol

So he can bully lottery teams but shrivels up against .500 ball clubs. Hasn't proven shit.

[raspsa]

Mason pretty active defensively.. nice

[DesignatedT]

bout time to take timmy out. he must be tired after this road trip

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

You did it Ruff. On one of those Blair offensive rebounds and put backs I just shouted out Grizzly. It just came out, I didn't even think about it. I haven't really called him Grizzly this season, but it just came automatically that time. lol.

Yay! :D

Grrrrrrrizlaaaaaahhhh!

Love that kid. Love his True Nickname. :lol

[Chieflion]

BTW, is it just me or Mason was a no show in the 2nd half?
Are you kidding? He blocked somebody, stripped Watson of the ball, made some defensive plays.

[Ice009]

RJ just skeeted all over/inside you haters :lol

Yeah he really did didn't he. lol.

Come tell me when he does that against any team over .500

[mystargtr34]

The dicks rising!

I lold

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

BTW, it's 40C here today... Jan-Mar are our hot months. Sheesh. We'll set a new record this year, I'm sure.

El Nino + climate change = Australia becoming very hard place to live.

[ElNono]

Ellis 33 points in 28 shots... Good job by the booger tonight...

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

ellis is wicked

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

A below .500 team.

Nope. He was pathetic in the 1st half.

[ffadicted]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

RJ calling and calling for the ball, tony isolates and gets a long ass Jay, obvious miss.... what the fuck man

[duncan228]

Duncan just incredible. Still amazes me after all these years. He's a joy to watch.

[45 bank shot]

parker sux, ignoring Rj

[ElNono]

Tony with the matador defense... dammit

[Chomag]

GS making their run! Spurs gotta get some stops!

[EmptyMan]

nevermind

[mystargtr34]

Damn Ellis with 35, Parker with 10.

I miss the old Tony.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

jefferson is playing well in the 2nd half, but it's hard to get excited when we've seen how he's played vs. The better teams so far this year..

fify

[bdictjames]

Parker should learn how to play European unselfish ball.

[Spurs Brazil]

TD again!

[Chieflion]

Tim Duncan over the years. Someone should make a DVD set out of Tim Duncan's career.

[bdictjames]

Timmy!

[007nites]

Tim Duncan says to Anthony Randolph "Get in the weight room"!

[Libri]

Didn't Hill say that he wanted to be like Ellis?

[bdictjames]

Tim Duncan over the years. Someone shoudl make a DVD set out of Tim Duncan's career.
And bootleg it so fans around the world can watch.

[EmptyMan]

Damn Timmothy Duncan.



Damn.

[cnyc3]

timmay, beeen waiting for that spin!!!

[bdictjames]

Oh well, at least Parker has 7 rebounds.

[Chieflion]

Tim Duncan is abusing Anthony Randolph. Nice dunk.

[007nites]

lol timmy is getting it down with such ease

[mVp]

Duncan is DA MAN!

[Ice009]

Timmy.

[ElNono]

Just give that man a trophy already! Everybody bow down to TD

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Duncan with the fake, baseline spin, step through, dunk. SWEEEEEET. :toast

[urunobili]

whatta play from TD my god...

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

good to see TD w/ some smile :)

[itzsoweezee]

did tim dunk that or lay it in?

[bdictjames]

Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Ti mmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timm y!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy! Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!Timmy!

[raspsa]

HEY! Sasquatch sighting.. Timmy SMILING after that spin & dunk..

[007nites]

Timmy is baptising Randolph

[anonoftheinternets]

parker needs to play some 2 on 2 with RJ .. so he can get used to his style.

[45 bank shot]

I don't know if you guys have discovered a fact that whenever Parker has the rock he'll def refuse to pass it to RJ

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

RE: it was a dunk

[Libri]

Tim didn't become great when he came out of college, he was already great.

[DesignatedT]

duncan with the dagger

[Spurs Brazil]

Tim Duncan: :worthy: :worthy::worthy:

[urunobili]

I wanted to see some Haislip and rest TD 2nite :depressed

[Chieflion]

I am cool with Hill becoming a player like Monta Ellis.

[ElNono]

I'll take the win... We're just not a very good ballclub right now, and it's disheartening...
But at least we get to the the BPFOAT do his thing one more time...

[mystargtr34]

Take a loot at Duncan's per minute stats after this game when they update. He is going at the same rate he was during his MVP years.. Not saying hes the same player, because hes not - but he has been dominant this year.

[alchemist]

So he can bully lottery teams but shrivels up against .500 ball clubs. Hasn't proven shit.
As long as they get that W to keep things afloat he still skeeted on you haters. :toast

[pawe]

that's twice Maggette did that move on him

[Ice009]

That was pure shit from TP.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

timmy w/ the century mark + 1 :D

[EmptyMan]

Whos doing the OWL noises on TV? :lmao


Where!? I will sneak up on him.

http://static.sdnn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/manu-bat1-400x364.jpg

[alchemist]

Yeah he really did didn't he. lol.

Come tell me when he does that against any team over .500
take your skeet for now please. :wakeup

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Why foul down 10??? Dumb. Let it play out.

[urunobili]

5-1 when opening the game blog threads now... :tu

[anonoftheinternets]

Where!? I will sneak up on him.

http://static.sdnn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/manu-bat1-400x364.jpg



:lol

[ElNono]

What we have up next?

[pawe]

good win for the spurs. gotta rack up these wins against .500 teams.

[siraulo23]

good win

[Ice009]

take your skeet for now please. :wakeup

No thanks.

RJ has a long way to go.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I hate this hugging after the game shit (unless the players really are friends off the court). NBA teams used to despise each other, and it was more interesting when they did.

[Ice009]

Good win. Keep fighting Spurs. Keep pushing we will get it going.

[bdictjames]

I'm glad we didn't lose 3 straight after winning 3.

Good game Spurs. Its not often you see a team winning with 20 turnovers against a team with only 10. And by double digs too.

[bdictjames]

And bootleg it so fans around the world can watch.


I hate this hugging after the game shit (unless the players really are friends off the court). NBA teams used to despise each other, and it was more interesting when they did.

It's Christmas. :toast

[alchemist]

When RJ consistently plays like this along with Timmy it'll be incredible. Add Tony to mix and it's orgy heaven, now if Mr. Baldspot ever settles down it'll be some Nirvana shit fellas :lobt2:

[alchemist]

No thanks.

RJ has a long way to go.
Accept it or not, you still got it Cameron Diaz style :toast....at least for tonight.

[Spurs Brazil]

What we have up next?

Pacers at home on Saturday

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Accept it or not, you still got it Cameron Diaz style :toast....at least for tonight.

Legs in the air? :lol

Of is there some internet footage I'm not aware of? :lmao

[Ice009]

Legs in the air? :lol

Of is there some internet footage I'm not aware of? :lmao

Maybe that comedy movie. I don't recall the name of it.

[alchemist]

Legs in the air? :lol

Of is there some internet footage I'm not aware of? :lmao
should've said Cameron Diaz There's Something About Mary style :lol

[Johnny RIngo]

Accept it or not, you still got it Cameron Diaz style :toast....at least for tonight.

Everybody knew RJ was going to play well tonight(dismal lottery team after all). We're disappointed that he isn't bringing it against the .500 opponents.

[Budkin]

It's still nice to win a back to back game on the road at least. I'll take it.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Where was Bonner?

[bdictjames]

We are no longer a .500 win team. We're a .550 win team now. :]

[alchemist]

Everybody knew RJ was going to play well tonight(dismal lottery team after all). We're disappointed that he isn't bringing it against the .500 opponents.
I don't disagree with you, but you have to take whatever he gives you in the mean time. As they move along they'll eventually learn how to use RJ more effectively against the better teams. (At least that's our hope as a fanbase)

[mytespurs]

good win for the spurs. gotta rack up these wins against .500 teams.

True....until we can win against the "big boys'.....get those wins as much as possible....especially after last night's disheartening loss.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Everybody knew RJ was going to play well tonight(dismal lottery team after all). We're disappointed that he isn't bringing it against the .500 opponents.

Not really... he was copping a lot of shit in the first half, and rightly so because he was shite.

Agree with the other bit though.

[xellos88330]

Yay!!! Spurs win!

[duncan228]

Updated.

Duncan leads Spurs past Warriors (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009121609&prov=ap)

Tim Duncan isn’t surprised by the problems San Antonio has had on the road this season. The Spurs’ 11-time All-Star just decided to do something about it.

Duncan had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and San Antonio won for just the third time away from home this season, beating the Golden State Warriors 103-91 on Wednesday night.

“We’re not playing well at all anywhere, whether it be on the road or at home,” Duncan said. “We just haven’t been playing good basketball. We’re trying to turn that corner and learn from our mistakes and be better about it.”

San Antonio had lost six of its first eight games away from the AT&T Center before shutting down Golden State in the second half.

The Spurs did it behind Duncan and Richard Jefferson, who is still adjusting to his new teammates after spending last season in Milwaukee. Jefferson scored 17 points, 14 in the second half.

Keith Bogans matched his season high with 13 points and Tony Parker had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Spurs, who beat Golden State for a seventh straight time.

“Our defense in the second half is what fueled us to get the win,” said San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who needs one victory to become the 17th coach in NBA history to reach 700 wins. “That was the difference in the game. We changed our pick-and-roll defense and it worked pretty well.”

Monta Ellis scored 35 points and Corey Maggette added 21 for injury-riddled Golden State, which played without its top three centers in coach Don Nelson’s return to the bench. The Warriors have lost four straight and 10 of 12.

“We can’t make excuses for ourselves,” Ellis said. “We did everything we could possibly do, but we didn’t hit enough shots.”

Nelson felt Golden State suffered mental lapses while trying to adjust to his play-calling.

“I’ve been gone for some time (and) I think my play-calling is a bit different,” he said. “I expect them to know the play calls and be where they’re supposed to be, and that didn’t happen sometimes. I don’t think we were mentally sharp at times.”

Popovich felt the same way about his team in the first half.

Duncan had only seven points by halftime, when the Spurs were content shooting from the perimeter rather than working the ball down low to their perennial All-Star forward.

That changed in the third quarter, when Duncan scored 14 points despite the Warriors double-teaming him in the paint. At one point Duncan scored on a spin move past Vladimir Radmanovic, then made a short layup over Anthony Randolph the next time down the court.

Duncan later scored five straight points to give the Spurs a 14-point lead in the third.

After Golden State pulled within 93-86 late in the fourth quarter, Duncan scored on back-to-back possessions—including a dunk over Randolph—to put San Antonio comfortably ahead.

That was in sharp contrast to Tuesday, when the Spurs fell behind early to Phoenix and never caught up, scoring only 20 points in the fourth quarter of a 114-106 loss.

“It’s always a step in the right direction but you can’t say we turned the corner yet until we start beating some of the elite teams,” Duncan said. “It’s a very good win against a young team that really brings a different type of game to the floor.”

The Warriors, who were already without starting center Andris Biedrins (lower back strain) and backup Ronny Turiaf (left knee), learned before the game that Mikki Moore will be out indefinitely after opting to have surgery to remove bone spurs in his right heel.

That left Golden State with just nine players in uniform and a coach still recovering from pneumonia. Don Nelson did not accompany the Warriors on their most recent road trip but was back on the bench against the Spurs.

“All better, 100 percent,” Nelson said. “A couple of days into the road trip I started feeling better, but it was good that I took the extra time (off).”

It didn’t get any easier for the Warriors when rookie guard Stephen Curry picked up three fouls in the first quarter and a fourth two minutes into the second.

Ellis, however, kept Golden State close in the first half until Duncan took over in the third quarter.

San Antonio led by nine early in the second quarter, but Ellis scored 11 points during an 18-4 run that gave Golden State a 45-40 lead. The Spurs stopped the slide briefly but Maggette and C.J. Watson both scored in the final 75 seconds to help the Warriors take a 49-47 lead into halftime.

NOTES: The Spurs improved to 40-7 against the Warriors since drafting Duncan in 1997. … Ellis has scored 30 or more points in seven of his last 14 games. … Radmanovic was 0-for-8 from the field.

[ElNono]

Pacers at home on Saturday

Thanks