Spurs vs. Thunder Previews

[duncan228]

Wednesday: Thunder (33-22) at Spurs (31-23) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Wednesday_Thunder_33-22_at_Spurs_31-23.html)

Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - THUNDER

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 9th yr) - 0 R. Westbrook (6-3, 2nd yr)
Strained iliopsoas muscle will keep Parker day-to-day for near future.

SG - 3 George Hill (6-2, 2nd yr) - 2 Thabo Sefolosha (6-7, 4th yr)
Averaging 15.9 points as starter, Hill among most consistent Spurs.

SF - 10 Keith Bogans (6-5, 7th yr) - 22 Jeff Green (6-9, 3rd yr)
Bogans considered defensive presence, but data doesn't bear that out.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 35 Kevin Durant (6-9, 3rd yr)
UT-ex Durant leads NBA with 33 30-plus scoring efforts.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 12 Nenad Krstic (7-0, 6th yr)
After starting previous two games, Bonner was a DNP against Pistons.

SPURS RESERVES

45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
4 Michael Finley, G/F, 6-7, 15th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
24 Richard Jefferson, F, 6-7, 9th yr
28 Ian Mahinmi, C, 6-11, 2nd yr
8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 6th yr
34 A. McDyess, F, 6-10, 14th yr

THUNDER RESERVES

4 Nick Collison, F/C, 6-10, 6th yr
13 James Harden, G, 6-5, 1st yr
9 Serge Ibaka, F/C, 6-10, 1st yr
6 Eric Maynor, G, 6-3, 1st yr
36 Etan Thomas, C, 6-10, 8th yr
7 Kevin Ollie, G, 6-2, 13th yr
3 D.J. White, F, 6-9, 2nd yr

COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Thunder: Scott Brooks

INJURIES

Spurs: Tony Parker (strained lower abdominal muscle) is day-to-day.
Thunder: Kyle Weaver (shoulder surgery) is out. D.J. White (fractured right thumb) is out.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Malik Hairston.
Thunder: Weaver, Byron Mullens.

NOTABLE

Spurs return from rodeo trip looking to gain momentum, not continue it. They went 4-4 and have lost two in a row. Overall, Spurs have dropped 10 of last 16. ... Oklahoma City lost to Phoenix on Tuesday, ending a nine-game winning streak. ... Thunder are 11 games above .500 for the first time since end of 2004-05 season. ... Durant's 29.9 ppg is ranked second behind LeBron James by one-tenth of a point.

- Jeff McDonald

[duncan228]

Oklahoma City (33-22) at San Antonio (31-23) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010022424&prov=ap)
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Wed Feb 24, 2010
TV: KSBI, FSSW
By Mike Lipka

The San Antonio Spurs may feel unfamiliar in their own arena as they prepare for their first home game in more than three weeks.

Bouncing back from a loss could seem even more foreign to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The struggling Spurs hope to get point guard Tony Parker back as they return from their rodeo road trip Wednesday night against the Thunder, who will try to regroup quickly after their nine-game winning streak was snapped.

Oklahoma City surged past the Spurs in the standings during its impressive run, but the Thunder (33-22) blew a 10-point lead in the final 3:30 of a 104-102 home loss to Phoenix on Tuesday.

“A streak like that won’t last the rest of the season,” forward Kevin Durant said. “You’d like it to, but this league’s too tough for something like that.”

It has still been an impressive renaissance for a franchise that went 43-121 over the previous two seasons.

Durant’s emergence has been the biggest reason for the turnaround, and the former Texas star took over the NBA scoring lead after pouring in 36 against the Suns.

It was his 29th straight game with at least 25 points - the longest such streak since Michael Jordan did it in 40 straight in 1986-87 - and Durant moved slightly ahead of Cleveland’s LeBron James with 29.9 points per game.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said of Durant. “He’s really found himself, and with his length and his offensive game, he’s really found a way to kind of get it done on a nightly basis.”

Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 10 assists against Phoenix, his fifth time in the last seven games with at least 20 points and 10 assists.

While the Thunder have the look of a rising contender in the Western Conference, the Spurs (31-23) hope they are not headed the other way.

They could realistically miss the playoffs for the first time since 1997 if they don’t improve on their recent results. San Antonio has dropped 10 of its last 17 to slip to seventh in the West - 1 1/2 games behind the sixth-place Thunder.

“We’ll make the playoffs. I’m not worried about that,” Parker said. “It’s kind of weird to see seventh, though. … Since I’ve been with the Spurs, we’ve always had 50 wins and this year it looks like it’s going to be tough to get 50 wins.”

Parker may not be on the court to help Wednesday. He scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting while dealing with a strained hip in Friday’s 106-94 loss at Philadelphia, and did not play Sunday in a 109-101 overtime defeat at Detroit.

“I tried to play through it against Philadelphia. Obviously it didn’t work out too well,” said Parker, who has also dealt with ankle and foot injuries this season. The Spurs are 5-4 when he is out of the lineup.

Duncan had 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Pistons, but San Antonio lost to finish 4-4 on its eight-game trip that straddled the All-Star break. The Spurs’ path doesn’t get much easier now, with the next seven games against teams at or over .500.

Oklahoma City has won three of its last five meetings with the Spurs, including a 101-98 victory at San Antonio on Nov. 14. The Spurs got revenge in Oklahoma City on Jan. 13, with rookie DeJuan Blair notching career highs of 28 points and 21 rebounds in a 109-108 overtime win.

“For the last couple years, they’ve given us real problems,” Duncan said. “We know we have a battle on our hands, and we know what it means right now.”

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Kevin Durant OKC 29.8
Tim Duncan SA 19.1

Rebounds
Kevin Durant OKC 7.5
Tim Duncan SA 11.0

Assists
Russell Westbrook OKC 7.7
Tony Parker SA 5.9

[FeZZy]

Booger man and ginger snap give me something good tomorrow

[timtonymanu]

I have a bad feeling about this. The Thunder just snapped their win streak. They may respond with anger and win or may be discouraged and lose 2 in a row. Im hoping it's the latter.

Expect no Ian or Malik to play and RJ at PF all game.

[DesignatedT]

I have a bad feeling about this. The Thunder just snapped their win streak. They may respond with anger and win or may be discouraged and lose 2 in a row. Im hoping it's the latter.

Expect no Ian or Malik to play and RJ at PF all game.

this is one of the only teams where i believe there is no alternative then to play RJ more at the 4. Jeff green being there PF has really given us problems and no way bonner, dyess, blair can stay with him. shit i dont even think RJ can stay with him. and its not like if you flip it around dyess is going to back down green all game... fuck no.. big time mismatch. here comes the small ball

[DesignatedT]

duncan needs to bring back the FRO.

http://lowposts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/duncan_fro.jpg

[Xylus]

The Thunder are probably going to play with a chip on their shoulder after tonight's loss to the Suns. They were up by 10 with 3 minutes to play and lost the game in stunning fashion. Look for these guys to come out aggressive, even on a back-to-back.

[Texas_Ranger]

I like our starting lineup.

Thunder by 20.
I hope Green kills Bogans!

[Xylus]

Is Pop seriously starting Bogans and Bonner?

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Wed. Feb 24
Oklahoma City @ San Antonio: Greg Willard; Tony Brown; John Goble

[ffadicted]

Oh my god the matchups against the Thunder have always been shitty, but looking at those matchups if the starting lineups pan out that way, I'm pretty much ready to shoot myself

[Cane]

I've got a good feeling about this game. Spurs are going to finally be at their homecourt and during the trip all of our 3-point shooters shot under their averages except Manu and Tony Parker; about time the rest of 'em get on a hot streak. Bogans gets a lot of hate but during the rodeo trip he was one of the "better" swingmen the Spurs had:

Keith Bogans
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3746.jpg
22.1 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1.1 assists (per games played during the Rodeo trip)
10-for-25 from the field (.400%), 4-13 from 3 (.307%)

Compare it to Dick whose averaging more minutes but barely did more statistically and shot .10% worse from the field:

Richard Jefferson
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3523.jpg
30:30 minutes, 9.6 points, 1.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, .87 turnovers
24-for-72 from the field (.333%), 6-for-19 on three-pointers (.315%), 23-29 free throws (.793%)

And then check out the horrible stats Mason and Finley put up in their minutes:

Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
9.2 minutes, 1 point, 1.75 rebounds
2-for-9 from the field (.222%), 1-for-7 on three-pointers (.142%)

Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
20.1 minutes, 4.5 points, 1.7 assists, 1.5 rebounds
11-for-40 from the field (.275%), 5-for-24 on three-pointers (.208%), 5-for-5 at the line (100%)

20 percent from downtown? Less than 30 percent from the field? Holy shit!

More Rodeo Trip stats @ http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4109355#post4109355

[Chomag]

Is Bonner the only starter in the NBA that goes from starting to DNP to starting again?

[Dice]

Please let McDyess and Blair get 25min+.

[Chomag]

I just noticed that Hairston is not on the roster. Was he sent back to the Toros?

If he was, damn... he didn't even get 1 second on the court :lol

[ElNono]

If the Bogeyman fails, we always have Finley to throw at Durant...

[TimmehC]

If the Bogeyman fails, we always have Finley to throw at Durant...
Nah, we'll throw Hill at him. And sadly, that's no joke - we've done it in the previous two games against them.

[sananspursfan21]

Please let McDyess and Blair get 25min+.

2nd that

[easy7]

So instead of starting shit, we are going to start crap...good move. :hat

[lennyalderette]

wohoo pops still on a binge!!!

[TJastal]

Is Bonner the only starter in the NBA that goes from starting to DNP to starting again?

:rollin

[duncan228]

Thunder at Spurs: Pregame Primer (http://www.dailythunder.com/2010/02/thunder-at-spurs-pregame-primer-2/#more-8246)
Royce Young
DailyThunder.com

OKC Thunder (33-22, 17-11 road) at. San Antonio Spurs (31-23, 19-10 home)

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 106.3 (17th), Spurs – 109.3 (7th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.9 (3rd), Spurs – 104.8 (11th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.6 (16th), Spurs – 91.4 (24th)

View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)

So what happens after you lose? Do you play again? Do you have to go home for the rest of the season? It’s just been so long since it happened that I’ve forgotten. It’s funny though thinking about it. Last year, it was a strange feeling if we won. Now, it’s getting odd if we lose. I think I like it better this way.

I can’t be the only one though that gets nervous after losses, especially when Oklahoma City has to turn around and play another tough team the next night. It’s like I have this ongoing fear that every loss is going to be the beginning to a miserable slide that ends up putting a damper on this excellent season. Like I said, I’m just not really all that used to this winning thing.

As for tonight: OKC is 13-8 when coming off a loss. So that’s good news. Tony Parker is questionable. I suppose that’s good news, but we thought Steve Nash being out would be good so who knows. The bad news is that this is the dreaded fourth game in five days for the Thunder. So heavy legs along with heavy hearts from the night before are going to be tough to shake.

San Antonio coming in: While the Thunder will be tired, the Spurs should be rested. They last played on Sunday, losing to Detroit in the last game of an eight-game road trip. So this is their first trip home since being away for eight. San Antonio is 5-5 in its last 10 and 19-10 at home.

THE MATCHUPS

Tony Parker is questionable, but much like Goran Dragic, George Hill is a more than capable backup. He’s extremely athletic, a savvy defender and can hit the 3. Russell Westbrook will certainly have his hands full on both ends of the floor, no matter who is starting at point for the Spurs. Kevin Durant has a clear advantage over Richard Jefferson at the three. Jefferson just has not been himself this year in any way. But with KD surely being tired both mentally and physically, you’ve got to wonder a little about him tonight.

But without Parker, the Spurs have been playing three guards with Roger Mason, Hill and Keith Bogans. So it’s possible Jefferson will check Jeff Green if San Antonio hangs with that lineup. Bogans is a worthy defender that will likely guard Durant if Jefferson doesn’t.

Of course there’s Tim Duncan inside, who OKC really has no answer for. DeJuan Blair grabbed 20 boards at the Ford Center the last time these two teams played and it’s likely Duncan could do the same. The main advantage the Thunder have on him is speed and quickness. Don’t be surprised if OKC runs a little more tonight. Finally, Manu Ginobili comes off the bench with Blair and Antonio McDyess to give San Antonio an excellent second unit. However, in two games against the Thunder, Ginobili is 0-18 from the floor and 0-8 from 3. So expect him to explode for 40 tonight.

It’s a big rebound game against a tough opponent on the road. Not ideal, but this Thunder team typically plays well in these types of games. It was a bummer to lose the streak and while there’s a chance to start one in the opposite way tonight, there’s also a good chance to get right back on track. It’s a big game in terms of playoff seeding and also tie-break terms. Not the end of the world to lose, but it sure would be nice to win.

Tip at 7:30 CST. Go Okay See.