Spurs vs. Rockets Previews

[duncan228]

Houston (37-36) at San Antonio (44-29) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010033124&prov=ap)
Game info: 8:30 pm EDT Wed Mar 31, 2010
TV: FSH, FSSW
By Nicolino Dibenedetto

A sudden injury to Manu Ginobili and a poor shooting display turned San Antonio’s matchup against the NBA’s worst team into a stunning defeat. Having Ginobili back for a meeting with another struggling opponent could produce a different outcome.

The guard will try to help the Spurs to an eighth win in nine home games Wednesday night when they face the Houston Rockets.

Ginobili is the reigning Western Conference player of the week after averaging 25.8 points and 5.0 assists to help San Antonio (44-29) to three wins in four games, including victories over NBA-best Cleveland and Atlantic Division-leading Boston.

Ginobili’s production was especially timely with Tony Parker nursing a broken right ring finger that has sidelined him for 13 games.

After his 28 points and seven assists helped the Spurs win 94-73 at the Celtics on Sunday, lower back spasms forced Ginobili to miss Monday’s visit to league-worst New Jersey. San Antonio shot 41.5 percent from the field en route to a 90-84 defeat.

“He couldn’t put his pants on,” coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili, who is expected back on the court Wednesday.

Ginobili, averaging 16.0 points and 4.8 assists on the season, will now try to help the Spurs improve their playoff position. They’re eighth in the Western Conference, one-half game behind seventh-place Portland and one back of Oklahoma City for sixth.

San Antonio appears nearly certain to extend its franchise-record playoff streak to 13 consecutive seasons. The Spurs are six games ahead of ninth-place Memphis with nine contests left in the regular season.

Star big man Tim Duncan leads San Antonio with averages of 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds, but has averaged 10.8 points and 9.3 boards over his last four games. He missed eight of his first 12 shots against the Nets, but finished with 13 points while adding 12 rebounds.

Duncan is averaging 23.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in the last 11 home meetings with the Rockets (37-36), including 25 points and 14 boards in the most recent matchup, a 116-109 loss Jan. 22. The Spurs have dropped two of three against Houston this season, as well as their last two home games in this series.

The Rockets ended a season-high four-game slide Tuesday, beating Washington 98-94 at home. Houston’s status as a playoff contender is essentially only mathematical at this point, trailing San Antonio by seven games with nine games to play.

Chase Budinger is giving Houston hope for the future. The rookie swingman scored a season-high 24 points while adding six rebounds against the Wizards, hitting the go-ahead jumper with 28 seconds to play.

“He bailed us out (Tuesday),” coach Rick Adelman said.

Budinger has seen his role increase with Kevin Martin (left shoulder), Shane Battier (left knee) and David Andersen (lower back) sidelined with injuries.

Martin had 33 points in a 109-104 home win over San Antonio on Feb. 26. Budinger was a non-factor, with two points in more than 28 minutes off the bench.

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Kevin Martin Hou 20.7
Tim Duncan SA 18.0

Rebounds
Luis Scola Hou 8.8
Tim Duncan SA 10.2

Assists
Aaron Brooks Hou 5.2
Tony Parker SA 5.7

[greyforest]

whats the ETA on TP?

[Sean Cagney]

The Dip shit on 790am in Houston on "the drive home" has been wishing for a "spurs collapse" for a month so the Rockets can get into the Play offs.

At the time he started The Rockets were closer to Portland than San Antonio.

I called in today and asked him to keep up the Spurs hate. He actually said "Manu isn't what he used to be"

LOL

guy hasn't seen any games..

He also said "the Rockets are an excellent rebounding Team"

Boy Houston sucks for Sports

Rockets are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA..

Any clown who says Manu is not what he used to be after that last month should be shot lol. I swear that dude is an idiot, as most homers in denial are.

I swear too Houston fans have to be some of the dumbest from boards I have seen, they are by far the worst and most of the reason I hate that team, every year they started out good they were the title team and way better than us etc. I swear their fans are the most delusional.

[alchemist]

I'm expecting the Spurs to work the Rockets like a rookie pornstar, no mercy! :downspin:

[TDMVPDPOY]

no one gains from this win...besides the spurs o f course, wtf are the rockets playin for anyway

[siraulo23]

Go spurs Go

[DesignatedT]

spurs better come out fired up for this one... they should feel embarrassed after last game.

[jestersmash]

It's true though Ginobili is not what he used to be, he's actually better as an overall package. He's lost some of the fierce explosiveness he had in '05, but he's gained a veteran's NBA IQ and his assist ability has gone way up. He's more finesse now than before, even if he is slower for the most part.

I'd take '07 ginobili or '10 March ginobili over '05 ginobili any day of the week.

[kaji157]

We will need to be very aware of Scola, they have relied on him on most of their b2b games.
He is averageing 15 and 9 on b2b with 50% shooting

[timtonymanu]

Dice better be guarding his man this time. Last time one of the reasons we lost was because of him. The Spurs gave away the Nets game so they better win this.

[The Franchise]

no one gains from this win...besides the spurs o f course, wtf are the rockets playin for anyway

We're playing our rookies heavy minutes to get them some on court experience. This will help them get comfortable in the system, and give them a better idea of what they will need to work on this summer. Hill, Taylor, and Budinger look like they can get a lot better if they put in the work.

[jjktkk]

no one gains from this win...besides the spurs o f course, wtf are the rockets playin for anyway

Disagree. Rivalry game. You don't think Scola wants to keep showing the Spurs what a boneheaded move the Spurs made in trading him to Houston?

[sa_butta]

no one gains from this win...besides the spurs o f course, wtf are the rockets playin for anywaydraft position.

[Solid D]

This game smells of FAIL tonight. George Hill has never shown he can keep up with Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry tends to bully his way into the paint and make energy plays against the Spurs, and Scola usually inflicts major damage any time he plays San Antonio.
Fortunately, the Spurs won't have to deal with Carl Landry and the Rockets are on the 2nd game of a b2b, but they are a fairly young team and didn't have to travel far for this encounter.

The Spurs had better bring scoring, rebounding and defense or they will go up in flames tonight.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Wed. Mar 31
Houston @ San Antonio: Joe Crawford; Eric Lewis; Rodney Mott

[Muser]

lol crawford.

[VBM]

Boy Houston sucks for Sports



Carl Dukes on ESPN The Ticket ain't bad. Kinda sad they deep-sixed Calvin Murphy...dude hardly knew what he was talking about sometimes, but he was entertaining.

[DesignatedT]

crawford :pctoss

[duncan228]

Spurs return home to face Rockets (http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4301398)

The San Antonio Spurs hope to bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season tonight when they return to the Alamo City to face in-state rival Houston.

The Spurs fell in New Jersey on Monday when Brook Lopez posted 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Nets pick up win No. 10 on the season, a 90-84 triumph, at the IZOD Center.

The Nets were on the cusp of tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record in NBA history (9-73), but a win over San Antonio, a team they had not beaten since November 13, 2002, allowed the home crowd to breathe a sigh of relief after the victory.

George Hill led San Antonio with 19 points, while Richard Jefferson netted 16 against his former team. Tim Duncan added 13 points and 12 rebounds but had a costly turnover in the waning seconds for the Spurs, who were coming off wins over Cleveland and Boston.

Star swingman Manu Ginobili, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, missed the contest with back spasms.

"We didn't have anyone that could score," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. "If you aren't scoring you at least have to make free throws, which we didn't, and take care of the ball, which we didn't."

Ginobili is expected back in the lineup tonight but veteran point guard Tony Parker is expected to miss his 14th straight game with a broken right ring finger.

The Rockets snapped a four-game skid last night against woeful Washington but their playoff hopes grow dimmer by the day. Houston is a virtually insurmountable seven games back of the Spurs for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with nine games to go.

San Antonio is almost guaranteed to extend its franchise-record playoff streak to 13 straight since they are also six games ahead of ninth-place Memphis.

Rookie Chase Budinger netted 13 of his career-best 24 points in the final quarter and hit the go-ahead bank shot with 28.3 seconds remaining on Tuesday, helping Houston beat Washington, 98-94, sending the Wizards to their franchise-record 16th straight loss.

Kyle Lowry scored 17 points, Luis Scola 16 and Jermaine Taylor 14 for Houston, which beat the Wizards for the ninth time in the last 10 meetings. Aaron Brooks tallied 11 points and 11 assists for the Rockets.

Earl Boykins sank two foul shots to put the Wizards ahead 92-90, but Lowry's runner in the lane with the shot clock about the expire tied the game with 1:26 left.

After Andray Blatche missed a jumper, Lowry was whistled for palming the ball. Washington couldn't take advantage of the turnover, however, as Blatche missed a fade-away jumper, leaving 33.5 seconds on the clock after a Houston timeout.

Budinger then rose up from near the top of the key and kissed the ball off the glass to give Houston the lead.

"It's a play that was run for me," Budinger said. "We're trying to get a quick shot so we could get another shot. The basketball gods let it go down for me."

Houston has been without stars Kevin Martin (left shoulder) and Shane Battier (left knee) and both are expected to remain sidelined tonight.

[Brazil]

already posted in the game blog

Mason could sit with injury: The San Antonio Express-News reports Spurs guard Roger Mason Jr. (http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybasketball/players/playerpage/307847/roger-mason-jr) has been listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against Houston after tests Tuesday confirmed he has a sprained pinkie finger on his right hand.