Spurs at Warriors Previews

[duncan228]

Game is Tuesday, 9:30 CST.


San Antonio (14-2) at Golden State (8-9) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010113009)
Tipoff: 10:30 pm EST Tue Nov 30, 2010
TV: FSSW, CSBA
By Noey Kupchan

After their 12-game winning streak was snapped, the San Antonio Spurs bounced back in impressive fashion. They could be in good position to start another run - while also extending one - when they face the Golden State Warriors.

San Antonio has outscored Golden State by 18.8 points in winning the last eight matchups, with the teams set to meet Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

The Spurs (14-2) sit alone atop the Western Conference and are the only NBA team yet to lose on the road. San Antonio is averaging 105.3 points in away games, among the most in the league.

Manu Ginobili led the way with 23 points in a 109-95 victory at New Orleans on Sunday. San Antonio battled back from a 17-point halftime deficit after falling to Dallas 103-94 on Friday - its first loss since Oct. 30.

The Spurs limited the Hornets to 34 points in the second half and scored a season-high 37 in the fourth quarter.

“For some strange reason we’ve been a second-half type of team - give up points in the beginning then lock down defense in the second half,” guard George Hill said. “If we can play defense the way we did in the second half … I think it’s going to be a scary year for everybody.”

Ginobili is averaging a team-best 21.6 points - 6.4 above his career average.

Tim Duncan had averaged 11.2 points in his previous nine games before scoring 21 on Sunday. San Antonio has gone 39-5 against the Warriors with Duncan in the lineup.

Golden State (8-9) ended a five-game losing streak with a 104-94 win at Minnesota on Saturday night, thanks in large part to Dorell Wright’s impressive effort from 3-point range.

Wright, averaging 7.0 points in his career, set a franchise record with nine 3-pointers while scoring a career-high 30. He has averaged 21.3 points in his last three games.

“It’s been 10 times better than what I thought it would be,” Wright said of joining the Spurs after playing his first six seasons with Miami. “I’m enjoying myself. We’ve struggled the past few games, but I think we’re going to get back on the right track when we get everybody healthy.”

David Lee, who leads Golden State with 10.7 rebounds per contest, returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lacerated elbow. He had 10 points and six boards, and the Warriors improved to 7-2 with their top rebounder in the lineup.

“First of all, I know we can get some wins and beat some teams,” Lee said. “I told you I wanted to be judged on wins and losses and so far that’s going pretty good when I’m in there. I just need to find a way to stay healthy and keep helping our team.”

Monta Ellis certainly did all he could to help the Warriors end their slide against the Spurs in the last three meetings. He averaged 38.7 points in those contests, and has scored 30.0 points a game at home this season.

Ellis had 26 points and 10 assists Saturday.

Golden State is averaging 107.1 points at Oracle Arena.

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Manu Ginobili SA 21.6
Monta Ellis GS 24.9

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 9.2
David Lee GS 10.7

Assists
Tony Parker SA 7.4
Stephen Curry GS 5.8

[8FOR!3]

Just don't fall asleep against them.

Looking at their roster, Monta Ellis, Steph Curry, David Lee, they have some talent.

[PBEEZY]

Another W

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

"Wright said of joining the Spurs after playing his first six seasons with Miami."

cool.

[bigdog]

They'll have their problems with Monta Ellis, but I can see them containing David Lee and even limiting Curry.

[elec99]

They're a fast scrappy team that can put up points in hurry, just dont fall asleep on them.

[jjktkk]

"Wright said of joining the Spurs after playing his first six seasons with Miami."

cool.

LOL, I was estatic after reading that misprint, thinking, wow, the Spurs made a trade for Wright.

[boutons_deux]

Warriors fans can make a lot of noise.

Remember the all-game pandemonium when they eliminated that #1 WC seed a couple years ago?

I can't remember which team it was. :)

[Texas_Ranger]

This could be a trap.

[99-03-05-07]

this is going to be an old fashin shootout, should be a good one

[Spurs Brazil]

Surprising: Golden State is a heady 7-1 with D-Lee in uniform (1-8 without him). Stunning: Heat castoff Dorell Wright is tied with Jason Richardson for the league lead in most games with at least six 3-pointers (three).

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

[TD 21]

I expect to see a lot of small ball again, because Ginobili will probably have a tough time guarding Ellis and Hill will probably end up spending a lot of time guarding him.

Lee is like West in that he's really only 6-8 and more of a jump shooter than a back to the basket scorer, so Jefferson probably won't be physically overwhelmed if he has to defend him and can probably do an adequate job on him.

I'm looking for Parker to bounce back and carry more of the load in this back-to-back.

One good stretch of defense and the Spurs win this one fairly comfortably.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

I don't know much about Golden State this year because Don Nelson left the Warriors as head coach last year, but should be another win for the Spurs.

Stay undefeated on the road!

[duncan228]

Tuesday: Spurs (14-2) at Warriors (8-9) (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/tuesday-spurs-14-2-at-warriors-8-9/)
Jeff McDonald

... Spurs have won eight in a row against Golden State. … Ellis, NBA’s fifth-leading scorer at 24.6 ppg, averaged 38.7 in three games vs. Spurs last season.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/tuesday-spurs-14-2-at-warriors-8-9/

[duncan228]

Spurs loving offense, sweating defense (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/spurs-loving-offense-sweating-defense/)

...Defensively, coach Gregg Popovich says, the Spurs are “relatively average.” They are allowing 98.9 points (14th in the league) and 46.5 percent shooting (21st).

“Our defense has to catch up to our offense,” Popovich said, “or we’re not going to be where we want to be.”


...“We know in the playoffs, when things start to slow down, you’re going to have to get stops and rebounds,” forward Tim Duncan said. “It’s good early in the season to be able to move the ball and score. But when it comes down to it at the end of the year, our defense is going to take us through.”


...Though Golden State isn’t playing at quite the frenetic pace under new coach Keith Smart as it did under Don Nelson, the Spurs’ defense can still expect a challenge tonight. The Warriors average 101.7 points, eighth in the NBA.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/spurs-loving-offense-sweating-defense/

[TE]

Trap game.

[Fpoonsie]

:lol

Everytime the Spurs aren't playing an elite team, it's a "trap game."

[TE]

:lol

Everytime the Spurs aren't playing an elite team, it's a "trap game."



They will play down to the Warriors level.

[Spursmania]

:lol

Everytime the Spurs aren't playing an elite team, it's a "trap game."

I think it's just a running joke now:lol

[TE]

I think it's just a running joke now:lol



No joke, real thing brah

[objective]

might this b2b be an opportunity for some healthy scratches to get some extra rest?

Maybe sitting Duncan against GS and sitting Ginobili against LAC?

[Rather.Unique]

“It’s been 10 times better than what I thought it would be,” Wright said of joining the Spurs after playing his first six seasons with Miami.


fooled me. i actually stopped reading & opened another tap to check out the Spurs roster and all the recent NBA transactions. :lol

[DBMethos]

Every game for the rest of the season is a trap game.

[PBEEZY]

Every game for the rest of the season is a trap game.

Every game so far this season has been a trap game according to this board SMFH

[ChuckD]

The Lee thing was really weird. Everybody's favorite Knick, WC, snagged him with his tooth on a scrum for a rebound. It got massively infected to the point where they had to surgically relieve the pressure.

Brush your damn teeth, Wilson. :lol

[ManuTastic]

I expect to see a lot of small ball again, because Ginobili will probably have a tough time guarding Ellis and Hill will probably end up spending a lot of time guarding him.

Lee is like West in that he's really only 6-8 and more of a jump shooter than a back to the basket scorer, so Jefferson probably won't be physically overwhelmed if he has to defend him and can probably do an adequate job on him.

I'm looking for Parker to bounce back and carry more of the load in this back-to-back.

One good stretch of defense and the Spurs win this one fairly comfortably.

Yep, I too smell a smallballfest coming up...

[shelshor]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Tue. Nov. 30
San Antonio @ Golden State: Bill Spooner; Tony Brothers; Brian Forte

[sa_butta]

We will need good perimeter defense and good rotation in this game...The Warriors are a team that can stay in games with the 3-ball.

[mingus]

there isnt a team in the west right now that the Spurs should be losing to. they're just better than the competition at this point (w/ LA missing Bynum). it's the Spurs game to lose. the only chance GS has is if Monte Ellis has a 40 point night and two of our big four have off nights both offensively and defensively (think back to Mavs game). GS has to have both of these things going for them if they want to win.

-Duncan will absolutely dominate against David Lee. Lee is a good enough of a player that he will probably give GS 20 ppg, but Duncan will at least match that output considering Lee's shitty defense. if he's not matching it on ppg, he'll be racking up assists or set guys up for threes when GS doubles him.

-Manu vs. Stephen Curry will be an interesting. it's clear by this point that Manu just isn't the same defender he once was out on the perimiter. it's where he showed his age. i don't know if he's be guarding stephen Curry or not, but quick gaurds are going to give Manu trouble defensively probably for the rest of his career (think Eric Gordon going off). luckily, Manu is playing so well offensively at thsi point, and in addition Curry's defense is nothin to write home about, that Manu will win this matchup 80% of the time.

-RJ This is a game in which i expect RJ to go off. He'll ge the same three point opportunities he's been getting and hopefully he'll knock them down. he'll also have to worry about little defensive presense in the paint so he'll be able to drive without a lot of resistance. and i expect him to thrive in the open court.

-i don't know who will be given the task of guarding Monte Ellis, but it will probably be TP. with the way TP has been playing defensively, he'll make Monte Ellis work for his shots. TP is probably the most underrated PG defender right now. i'd have him 2nd team all defense a the PG position only behind Rondo. offensively, TP will thrive for the same reason i've mentioned: GS's perim. defense and interior defense wil not be able to stop the Spurs from penetrating and either laying it up ot passing it out for three.

i look for an all around team effort by SA today. the big situation is as puzzling as anything. so i don't know if we see Matt Bonner playing 36 mins, Blair 5 mins, Splitter with a DNP, and Dyess with 25 minutes or what. i hope to see the Spurs start limiting Dyess though. the Haslem injury in Miami is scary and got me thinking that if Dyess were to have an injury that put him out for the year (rem. he suffered from leg relating injuries almost his entire career), the Spurs lose too much to compete for a championship. time to start limiting his minutes, Pop, and get Splitter some action.

anyway, Spurs by 8. the usualy suspect Manu with a big game offensively.

[Dex]

I think it's just a running joke now:lol

It's becoming like 'First!'

[Mark in Austin]

I wonder if Blair will get a little more burn against David Lee...

[duncan228]

Advanced Scouting: San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/advanced-scouting-san-antonio-spurs-golden-state-warriors-11-30-10)
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of Hell

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/advanced-scouting-san-antonio-spurs-golden-state-warriors-11-30-10

[duncan228]

Spurs bracing for meeting tonight with ‘The Mississippi Bullet’ (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/spurs-bracing-for-meeting-tonight-with-the-mississippi-bullet/)
Tim Griffin

...Ellis has earned the moniker of “The Mississippi Bullet” in a nod to his home state and his unique speed on the court. It will be a huge challenge for the Spurs backcourt to keep up with the speedy Ellis, who is averaging 24.9 points per game this season to rank fifth in the league.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/29/spurs-bracing-for-meeting-tonight-with-the-mississippi-bullet/

[Cessation]

Considering pops small ball fetish, and its recent success, hell feel like a kid in a candy store, playing the warriors.

[duncan228]

Hit the link for video.


Monta Ellis is tearing it up (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/30/monta-ellis-is-tearing-it-up/)
Kurt Helin

There may be no more entertaining player to watch in the league right now than Monta Ellis.

There are better ones, but few people are putting on a show every time they hit the court quite like Ellis this season. Warrior fans finally have owners trying to figure out how to make it work the right way, and while that takes time they have quite a show to watch from Ellis and Steph Curry. The pair has figured out how to coexist quite well.

Check it out for yourself (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/30/monta-ellis-is-tearing-it-up/).

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/30/monta-ellis-is-tearing-it-up/

[SenorSpur]

I believe the Spurs will most certainly miss James Anderson in this matchup versus the Warriors.

[DesignatedT]

Warriors play with a lot of energy at home. Spurs' young guys need to match that. This could be a close game.

[Rummpd]

Spurs 108
an improved GS 104

[TD 21]

Duncan will absolutely dominate against David Lee. Lee is a good enough of a player that he will probably give GS 20 ppg, but Duncan will at least match that output considering Lee's shitty defense. if he's not matching it on ppg, he'll be racking up assists or set guys up for threes when GS doubles him.

Duncan would absolutely dominate Lee, if the Warriors were stupid enough to have Lee defend him. Unfortunately, that won't be happening. Biedrins and Gadzuric will guard Duncan.

Why do some continue to refer to Duncan as a power forward when discussing match-ups? He exclusively guards centers, therefore he's a center.