Game Blog: Spurs @ Clippers - Dec. 1

[Cessation]

this game was lost in the second quarter when bonner checked in for most of it, clips went on an 18-2 run, when spurs had to double his man, griffin, and he kicked out for multiple 3s, otherwise he made ginger his bitch, and pop sealed it by continuing to play 0-6 bonner, in second half and in crunch time

[EricB]

You can monitor minutes, but there is only so many players....

[DesignatedT]

I think it has to do with our starting PG basically not playing... Tony laid an egg out there today. Sure, a lot of guys sucked, but you look at the score, and if he puts up half his averages, we win.

Very confused on this situation tonight.

[itzsoweezee]

Why do you guys keep wanting to turn this into a Tiago vs Bonner thing? They were both bad. AD was bad too for that matter. Duncan was bad. Manu was bad. Tony was - well bad then he was just I don't know wtf. Hill was bad. Richard wasn't that bad, but he was fairly passive. Neal was ok but then he realized he was OK and started chucking.

Its just one of those games.

Has Bonner done anything in his career warranting him being awarded with 30 minutes of playing time?

[DubMcDub]

lol this team is just dog tired. you can tell. pop really needs to start watching these minutes because we have no chance of winning if our guys are this tired down the stretch of the season.

If they're tired, there's something wrong, because your guys haven't been playing high minutes all season.

[TampaDude]

I'd like to think there's a silver lining to all this...maybe Pop won't play Bonner so fucking much...probably too much to ask. :lol

Just one of those nights. If this is how the Spurs play on the second night of a B2B, then we might as well put an L next to all such games for the rest of the season. A good team would have beaten the Spurs by 30 tonight.

[maddnezz]

and still played better d than matt !
And knocked Griffin on his ass!
Clean your tv screen sir!

[MannyIsGod]

Uh, weren't you the one who incorrectly suggested that Splitter didn't do anything to contribute to the run that started when Bonner came out of the game?

Incorrectly? :lol

Tiago scored 2 points, gave up about 8 on the other side, but the fact that he drew some meaningless fouls was a huge factor for you. Yeah ok. Go back to talking about halfcourt shots.

[Mugen]

lol Pop doing Vinny a solid

[Chomag]

Blake Griffen tore our front line to pieces.

[MannyIsGod]

Most of us realize it's not the only reason.

But it is one of the most glaring by FAR.
Reason being:

Bonner was leading the team in minutes at the half. Tiago had zero.
Bonner was stone-cold. He was doing NOTHING. Zero impact in every aspect of the game. Therefore, any player who does ANYTHING is being better than Bonner.

When Tiago came in, he not only caused fouls, he scored the ball, got to the free throw line, and when he left it was a 6 point game.
He was running the floor much faster than Bonner, and was being aggressive...which used to be rewarded by Pop once upon a time.

Then when we reward Bonner's cold shooting with more minutes he responds with more cold shooting.

I wouldn't have mind seeing Blair get some of those minutes either, and I'm not saying Tiago was Robinson out there on the Clippers but he did help us get back into the game. And then he was benched.

Dude the most glaring reason by far is the big 3 sucking. Its not even close. You know how many games the Spurs are going to win when the big 3 suck? Yeah, not many.

[Ice009]

I'd like an answer to my question MannyIsGod.

[Obstructed_View]

I guess the best backcourt in the NBA has to play like the best backcourt in the NBA every single game to be able to win. The Spurs' offense really gets cooking when they're putting up ten or eleven threes a quarter though. That was amazing to watch.

Oh well, it's nice to lose a game and still have the best record in the league.

[timtonymanu]

This game needed some James Anderson. Replace Anderson with Udoka in that one stretch and we would have won.

[siraulo23]

whats up with tp

[MannyIsGod]

Time to start resting Duncan on the b2b's i dgaf who were playing. Seeing our guys this tired is really discouraging. they were clearly fatigued tonight.

Probably more of a factor of B2B and jet lag. Duncan's minutes are low as shit. You really can't manage them much better.

[itzsoweezee]

By the way, the Spurs were making a run in the second half, then Bonner came back in the game . . .

[TampaDude]

this game was lost in the second quarter when bonner checked in for most of it, clips went on an 18-2 run, when spurs had to double his man, griffin, and he kicked out for multiple 3s, otherwise he made ginger his bitch, and pop sealed it by continuing to play 0-6 bonner, in second half and in crunch time

^ this

The Spurs had all the momentum, and then the Bonner/Udoka show came out on stage and jizzed all over that momentum. :bang

[janetcn12]

Stop blaming on Tony....almost everybody didn't play up to par

[MannyIsGod]

I guess the best backcourt in the NBA has to play like the best backcourt in the NBA every single game to be able to win. The Spurs' offense really gets cooking when they're putting up ten or eleven threes a quarter though. That was amazing to watch.

Oh well, it's nice to lose a game and still have the best record in the league.

They have to play better than they did tonight and on most nights they will have to play like the best back court to win. Why is that a shock? I'd imagine that was common sense.

[Death In June]

30 minutes for Bonner is about 20 minutes too much.

[Crookshanks]

Dude the most glaring reason by far is the big 3 sucking. Its not even close. You know how many games the Spurs are going to win when the big 3 suck? Yeah, not many.

I agree - Tony scored, what, 4 points? And did Timmy get into double digits? The Big 3 were a big Zero tonight - and that was the game.

[GSH]

Blame it on whoever you want, but the Clippers absolutely dominated us in the middle. They had 56 points in the paint, and they kicked our asses in the paint defensively.

[TampaDude]

By the way, the Spurs were making a run in the second half, then Bonner came back in the game . . .

Bonner the rally killer!!! :lol

[jestersmash]

My reaction to this loss: "Oh well. 15-3"

We weren't going to have a 100% success rate against sub-.500 teams. Never have, never will.

This is the entire reason for building such a strong buffer to begin the season. We can take a couple of losses like this and not be phased as far as overall playoff seeding goes.

[Budkin]

Sucks to lose to the Clips but you could tell they were tired as hell.

[ShoogarBear]

The Clippers, Griffin nowithstanding, are a hugely sucky team. Even with the Big Three having a bad night, this Spurs team with their supposed newfound depth should have put on a much better showing than they did.

[MANUUU]

yeah i second that. what happened to tp? too much eva on his mind? not enough basketball?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

To Parker's credit, we don't know how he would have played had he got his 30 minutes like Duncan and Ginobili did.

[Chomag]

If the spurs are this worn out already I would be kind of worried. The Big 3's minutes have been down this season.

[Obstructed_View]

Incorrectly? :lol

Tiago scored 2 points, gave up about 8 on the other side, but the fact that he drew some meaningless fouls was a huge factor for you. Yeah ok. Go back to talking about halfcourt shots.

So you're willing spend page after page defending Bonner for leading all bigs in minutes and doing absolutely nothing, including giving up a huge run that was the difference in the game, but you aren't willing to defend Splitter for anything he did, even though he defended, drew fouls and got a block. Yeah, you don't have an agenda or anything. :lol

[siraulo23]

7/27 from three

[hitmanyr2k]

Incorrectly? :lol

Tiago scored 2 points, gave up about 8 on the other side, but the fact that he drew some meaningless fouls was a huge factor for you. Yeah ok. Go back to talking about halfcourt shots.

Man, Splitter was hustling and showing effort out there. He didn't draw meaningless fouls. How are drawing fouls meaningless anyway? Doesn't any team want to get in the penalty and shoot foul shots? And besides that the guy drew fouls trying to hit the offensive glass going for a tip in like good bigs are supposed to do. It was some energy the Spurs needed at the time. Give me the guy who hustles over the guy who just throws up bricks all game and does nothing else.

[Crookshanks]

A crappy team can beat a good team any night - just look at the Lakers losing to the Grizzlies and to the Rockets. Tonight was just not the Spurs night - they've had some really great comeback wins already, but they just didn't have it going tonight.

[boutons_deux]

Somebody figure out Bonner's 3G% home vs road

[MannyIsGod]

So you're willing spend page after page defending Bonner for leading all bigs in minutes and doing absolutely nothing, including giving up a huge run that was the difference in the game, but you aren't willing to defend Splitter for anything he did, even though he defended, drew fouls and got a block. Yeah, you don't have an agenda or anything. :lol

I defended Bonner?

:lmao

Go back and reread then come back and tell me I defended Bonner.

[LeCrab]

manny big ears and nose must of blocked his eyes bonner was horrible

[ElNono]

The minutes come from the fact that nobody else can create anything. I'm sure Pop wanted a blowout just like against the warriors, but it didn't happen, and only Manu, Hill, Tony and TD can create anything. Tony was MIA, and Hill has gotten this habit of dribbling the clock down. That's where the minutes come from.

[Budkin]

A crappy team can beat a good team any night - just look at the Lakers losing to the Grizzlies and to the Rockets. Tonight was just not the Spurs night - they've had some really great comeback wins already, but they just didn't have it going tonight.

So true.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Somebody figure out Bonner's 3G% home vs road

As of today:

Home: 28%

Road: 1%

[DubMcDub]

FWIW, from an outside fan's perspective, it is damn strange to see the Spurs and Greg Popovich living and dying by the 3. They're still very fundamentally sound in other areas, and the Spurs with Duncan to some extent have always been a good three-point shooting team around Duncan, but I've never seen the overall team performance sway with the three-pt % like it is this year.

Just an observation.

[maddnezz]

Most of us realize it's not the only reason.

But it is one of the most glaring by FAR.
Reason being:

Bonner was leading the team in minutes at the half. Tiago had zero.
Bonner was stone-cold. He was doing NOTHING. Zero impact in every aspect of the game. Therefore, any player who does ANYTHING is being better than Bonner.

When Tiago came in, he not only caused fouls, he scored the ball, got to the free throw line, and when he left it was a 6 point game.
He was running the floor much faster than Bonner, and was being aggressive...which used to be rewarded by Pop once upon a time.

Then when we reward Bonner's cold shooting with more minutes he responds with more cold shooting.

I wouldn't have mind seeing Blair get some of those minutes either, and I'm not saying Tiago was Robinson out there on the Clippers but he did help us get back into the game. And then he was benched. Hey Cant_Be_Faded, there are two posters here that always and I mean always talk opposite of what the facts are. Even before i started posting I would just read and it's the same 2 people, amazing. I wonder if they were the head coach would they have the same opinion?

[slugger22]

I hate these B2B games. I wonder if the Clippers fans knew they had just beaten the team with the best record in the NBA :huh

[mytespurs]

Ambivalent feelings about this one-on the one hand, disappointed that Spurs lost but not surprised; on the other hand, it's nice to see the ugly stepsisters of LA basketball aka the clippers win a game against a good team! Despite their dismal record, if things fall into place, they make yet make some noise this season.

[MannyIsGod]

Since apparently there are a bunch of really fucking stupid people here who can't be bothered with reading comprehension I'm going to spell it out for you:

Bonner played badly.

Tiago played badly too.

I'm not defending Bonner by saying Tiago didn't start a run.

[DPG21920]

Tiago played better than Bonner. He deserved the minutes. Pop still gave them to Bonner. How do you defend that?

[MannyIsGod]

I don't. I already told you I would have played Blair.

How do you guys enjoy message boards if you don't read whats posted and just decide on your own what to respond to?

[MANUUU]

anyone have any idea what happened with tp?

[Spurologist]

:tu Fun watching Griffin....he desperately needs a jumper to take his game to the next level

[jestersmash]

I don't mind losing against the 4-15 Clippers.

I'd be furious if we lost against the 6-13 Nets who, despite their record, are far more terrible than the Clippers are.

[Ditty]

I have never bitched about Matt Bonner and Pop(sometimes). I don't know why pop thinks bonner can guard griffin and why he keeps him in the game if he missed every damn 3 he throws up."Well he helps spread the floor", who gives a shit if he can't make 3's, he's useless. Horrible play from the spurs they looked tired.

[TampaDude]

My reaction to this loss: "Oh well. 15-3"

We weren't going to have a 100% success rate against sub-.500 teams. Never have, never will.

This is the entire reason for building such a strong buffer to begin the season. We can take a couple of losses like this and not be phased as far as overall playoff seeding goes.

Yeah, but this was a game the Spurs should have still won easily. The shots were just plain not falling. That's FATIGUE, nothing more. Remember, this is a team that came back from a 17-point halftime deficit against the Hornets..IN NEW ORLEANS.

You can't shoot 35.6% against any team and expect to win, ever. The Clippers turned the ball over 19 times, but the Spurs couldn't do shit with those turnovers. They were fucking sleepwalking out there.

[GSH]

A crappy team can beat a good team any night - just look at the Lakers losing to the Grizzlies and to the Rockets. Tonight was just not the Spurs night - they've had some really great comeback wins already, but they just didn't have it going tonight.

Yeah, but we took 15 more attempts than they did - a margin of 8 or 9 is usually enough to win a game, unless the other team has a LOT of free throws. The Clips had 20 turnovers FFS. They played their usual crappy game. It's not that this wasn't the Spurs night. It should have been their night. The Spurs just REALLY stunk up the joint.

[HarlemHeat37]

Possession 1: Griffin draws foul on Splitter..nothing Splitter can really do here, amazing dunk attempt from Griffin..good foul though, since Griffin would have had to make a spectacular play to get the and-1..Griffin misses both FTs..

Possession 2: Manu drives, out of control, Splitter with the putback finish..

Possession 3: Splitter sets screen for Neal..receives the ball, clears out for Neal with a good pivot move, and passes it to him for an open 3, Neal makes it..

Possession 4: Splitter misses an ugly hook shot when the offense broke down..

Possession 5: Griffin drives on Splitter, gets late foul call, questionable call..

Possession 6: Splitter makes good cut to the basket on the p&r, fouled by Baron Davis, makes 1 of 2 FTs..

Possession 7: Rasual Butler drives in the lane from the wing, Splitter draws offensive foul..

Possession 8: Splitter makes good cut off of a Hill miss to get in box out possession, gets fouled by Gomes before he can make the tip-in..makes 1 of 2 free throws..

Possession 9: Splitter stupidly helps Hill on a Baron Davis drive, leaving Griffin open for a dunk..

Possession 10: Splitter throws up a horrible hook shot, misses everything..

Possession 11: Splitter and Hill have miscommunication, where Hill allows Bledsoe to blow by him, assuming Splitter is helping..Tiago gets there late, Bledsoe draws a nice and-1, bouncing off Splitter's body..

Possession 12: Splitter nearly blocks Bledsoe's layup, even though he has to follow him from the 3-point lane, altering his shot..none of the other Spurs bigs could make that play..

He made his share of mistakes, which is to be expected from inexperienced players that don't see the floor, but he played relatively well, all things considered..he certainly played better than Bonner..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Manny is saying Bonner/Tiago discussion is moot because the big 3 played like shit and that was the bigger piece of the problem.

I happen to think tiago would have been a great fresh set of productive legs to use in this shitty game that would have given us a better chance to win.

[hitmanyr2k]

:tu Fun watching Griffin....he desperately needs a jumper to take his game to the next level

Right now he's a clone of Amare Stoudemire from 2004-2005.

[Obstructed_View]

Since apparently there are a bunch of really fucking stupid people here who can't be bothered with reading comprehension I'm going to spell it out for you:

Bonner played badly.

Tiago played badly too.

I'm not defending Bonner by saying Tiago didn't start a run.

Someone pointed out that the Spurs went on a run with Splitter in the game and went stagnant when Bonner came back in, and you responded by saying that Splitter didn't do anything.

The number of really fucking stupid people here went from zero to one when you started posting up.

[ALVAREZ6]

that fuck happened?

how the fuck do you lose to the worst fuckin team?

[MannyIsGod]

The Spurs likely took more 3s because of the fatigue. Tired teams tend to go to the hole less. Not to mention that the Clippers decided to simply pack in the lane and give the Spurs the 3 in the 2nd half.

A few were forced but the vast majority were wide open. Even closer shots were pretty bad from Duncan and I saw Antonio miss wide right on a wide open 20 footer that he usually kills.

[DPG21920]

Manny is making shit up comparing Tiago's game to Bonner's tonight, when Tiago clearly outplayed him.

The Big 3 are going to struggle from time to time, that doesn't mean you should lose to the Clippers. That is when the coach needs to put the right role players in.

Pop sucked a huge one tonight and so did Bonner.

[ElNono]

This loss stings because you know it was a winnable game. Especially on a night when the Lakers lost and we could have had some extra cushion to rest our guys later in the season. I'm certainly not going to complain about our record, and shooting slumps like this happen. But in every loss there's something to learn. Hopefully they'll rewatch this game and see if the can improve the rotations when doubling. Dirk killed us with it, and Griffin did too today.

Disappointing, but still only counts as 1 out of 82. I'll get really worried if TP doesn't pick up the intensity in the next few games.

[MannyIsGod]

Someone pointed out that the Spurs went on a run with Splitter in the game and went stagnant when Bonner came back in, and you responded by saying that Splitter didn't do anything.

The number of really fucking stupid people here went from zero to one when you started posting up.

Oh he did quite a few things. He gave up an open dunk - got owned by griffin just as bad as bonner had, and threw up some ugly fucking hooks on offense. He drew the 2 fouls but made only half the free throws.

I said he wasn't the reason the run started. If you wanted to point at one player that caused that run it was Neal. Tiago was lucky to be on the court when Neal hit a few shots. Congrats.

[MannyIsGod]

Manny is making shit up comparing Tiago's game to Bonner's tonight, when Tiago clearly outplayed him.

The Big 3 are going to struggle from time to time, that doesn't mean you should lose to the Clippers. That is when the coach needs to put the right role players in.

Pop sucked a huge one tonight and so did Bonner.

If you're trolling me well done.

[maddnezz]

Possession 1: Griffin draws foul on Splitter..nothing Splitter can really do here, amazing dunk attempt from Griffin..good foul, Griffin misses both FTs..

Possession 2: Manu drives, out of control, Splitter with the putback finish..

Possession 3: Splitter sets screen for Neal..receives the ball, clears out for Neal and passes it to him for an open 3, Neal makes it..

Possession 4: Splitter misses an ugly hook shot when the offense broke down..

Possession 5: Griffin drives on Splitter, gets late foul call..

Possession 6: Splitter makes good cut to the basket, fouled by Baron Davis, makes 1 of 2 FTs..

Possession 7: Rasual Butler drives in the lane from the wing, Splitter draws offensive foul..

Possession 8: Splitter makes good cut off of a Hill miss to get in box out possession, gets fouled by Gomes before he can make the tip-in..makes 1 of 2 free throws..

Possession 9: Splitter stupidly helps Hill on a Baron Davis drive, leaving Griffin open for a dunk..

Possession 10: Splitter throws up a horrible hook shot, misses everything..

Possession 11: Splitter and Hill have miscommunication, where Hill allows Bledsoe to blow by him, assuming Splitter is helping..Tiago gets there late, Bledsoe draws a nice and-1, bouncing off Splitter's body..

Possession 12: Splitter nearly blocks Bledsoe's layup, even though he has to follow him from the 3-point lane, altering his shot..

He made his share of mistakes, which is to be expected from inexperienced players that don't see the floor, but he played relatively well, all things considered..he certainly played better than Bonner.. This till the playoffs bro. Genius!:tu

[MaNu4Tres]

Oh he did quite a few things. He gave up an open dunk - got owned by griffin just as bad as bonner had, and threw up some ugly fucking hooks on offense. He drew the 2 fouls but made only half the free throws.

I said he wasn't the reason the run started. If you wanted to point at one player that caused that run it was Neal. Tiago was lucky to be on the court when Neal hit a few shots. Congrats.

Go read Harlem's last post please.

[GSH]

Somebody figure out Bonner's 3G% home vs road

Before tonight, he was 12-20 at home and 11-21 on the road.

[Crookshanks]

The Spurs likely took more 3s because of the fatigue. Tired teams tend to go to the hole less. Not to mention that the Clippers decided to simply pack in the lane and give the Spurs the 3 in the 2nd half.

A few were forced but the vast majority were wide open. Even closer shots were pretty bad from Duncan and I saw Antonio miss wide right on a wide open 20 footer that he usually kills.

And both Manu and Timmy put up some airballs - and how often does that happen? A lot of those 3's were wide open shots - so you'd expect them to take them. They just weren't falling tonight. I didn't watch the game, but I listened to WOAI - and many, many times I heard Bill Schoening say the ball went in and out - so they must not have been really bad shots.

[DesignatedT]

lmao comparing tiago to bonner after bonners worse game of the year. slick.

Bonner was absolutely horrible tonight, much worse tonight than he has been all season thus far.

Splitter had positives and negatives tonight but definitely deserves more minutes.

[DPG21920]

Manny, you are matching Pop for worst performance of the night right now.

[MannyIsGod]

I'm pretty sure DPG is trolling me since I've already told him that I wasn't comparing Tiago and Bonner but the rest of you need to learn to read.

[maddnezz]

I'm pretty sure DPG is trolling me since I've already told him that I wasn't comparing Tiago and Bonner but the rest of you need to learn to read.
And you need to clean your glasses.

[ShoogarBear]

WTF Manny, why are you even trying to compare Tiago and Bonner?

[Chomag]

lmao comparing tiago to bonner after bonners worse game of the year. slick.

Bonner was absolutely horrible tonight, much worse tonight than he has been all season thus far.

Splitter had positives and negatives tonight but definitely deserves more minutes.

Yep, splitter had mistakes but he did more good then he did bad. He played very well for a player that has not had time to gel and get into a rhythm from lack of minutes. He just looks rusty but still pretty good.

[DPG21920]

I just don't get how Manny can even start to compare Tiago and Bonner tonight. Just another Pop apologist.

Blows the mind, this does.

[MannyIsGod]

You've come a long way DPG. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Pretty much the same feeling I get when Pop puts Bonner in to play some clutch D.

[AnthonyM]

This Bonner vs. Tiago argument is weird.

One thing to remember though is that this is Bonner's 7th year in the league, 5th with the Spurs. Tiago is still a rookie.

The fact that these are two guys that are fighting for minutes off the bench, and there's that much of a disparity between minutes is discouraging. Splitter has the potential to do everything better than Bonner except spread the floor, and he's only a rookie. A 7-year veteran is bricking threes all night while not contributing much else on the floor getting 30 minutes over Tiago who is getting DNP-CD's and sparse minutes does nothing good for either really.

Not to mention that Tiago can be a useful cog in any sort of postseason run, and Bonner is more like fool's gold, who has proven that he can be an asset but in two straight years has shown that he can't step up in the big stage.

Give Tiago more minutes and live with the mistakes from a rookie who has potential, rather than the mistakes and cold shooting from a 7 year vet who has spent 5 years in your system.

[maddnezz]

This Bonner vs. Tiago argument is weird.

One thing to remember though is that this is Bonner's 7th year in the league, 5th with the Spurs. Tiago is still a rookie.

The fact that these are two guys that are fighting for minutes off the bench, and there's that much of a disparity between minutes is discouraging. Splitter has the potential to do everything better than Bonner except spread the floor, and he's only a rookie. A 7-year veteran is bricking threes all night while not contributing much else on the floor getting 30 minutes over Tiago who is getting DNP-CD's and sparse minutes does nothing good for either really.

Not to mention that Tiago can be a useful cog in any sort of postseason run, and Bonner is more like fool's gold, who has proven that he can be an asset but in two straight years has shown that he can't step up in the big stage.

Give Tiago more minutes and live with the mistakes from a rookie who has potential, rather than the mistakes and cold shooting from a 7 year vet who has spent 5 years in your system. Good Shit there Wade!:toast

[DPG21920]

You've come a long way DPG. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Pretty much the same feeling I get when Pop puts Bonner in to play some clutch D.

We've come a long way together. But seriously, cut that comparing Bonner's bad to Tiago's bad sh*t out.

[duncan228]

Some post-game quotes.


NBA-worst Clippers stun NBA-best Spurs 90-85
By Greg Beacham

Although Eric Gordon is unsure why the Los Angeles Clippers are downright dominant whenever they face the NBA’s best team this season, he’s really hoping they’ll learn something they can apply to the other 28 teams.

Blake Griffin had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Gordon added 21 points and the Clippers ended an 18-game skid against the Spurs, beating NBA-leading San Antonio 90-85 Wednesday night.

Baron Davis had seven points and 10 assists in his return from a 10-game injury absence for the Clippers, who have the league’s worst record at 4-15. They still beat a team with the NBA’s best record for the second time in 10 days, following a similarly stunning win over New Orleans late last month.

Although neither team played very well in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points apiece, the Clippers won by attrition, ending the slow-legged Spurs’ 8-0 road start to the season.

“Yeah, we play well against teams that have a good record,” said Gordon, who scored seven points in the fourth. “We just have to compete like that all the time. Our offense was good, and we didn’t have any letdowns during the game. We just have to be consistent.”

George Hill scored 17 points and Manu Ginobili added 15 for the Spurs, who lost for just the second time in 16 games and dropped to 15-3 with their first road loss. Tim Duncan had just eight points, one night after posting a triple-double at Golden State.

The Spurs refused to make excuses for an ugly effort against a team that hadn’t beaten them since March 7, 2006.

“We played badly, bottom line,” Duncan said. “Nobody played well. I played awful. The ball wouldn’t go in the hole. On top of that, Blake played great, Eric played great, and they kept making shots down the stretch. … Our defense gave us a chance, and we got to that threshold where a 3-ball or any made shot would have got us right in it, and we couldn’t get the ball to go down.”

Los Angeles took the lead with a 20-2 run spanning halftime and never lost the advantage despite a shaky fourth quarter that included six straight misses from the free throw line. The Clippers have won three of five after a 1-13 start during a fairly brutal November schedule compounded by the injury absence of Davis, Chris Kaman and Randy Foye.

“It’s always great to give our loyal fans something great to see like this win,” Griffin said. “We have lost winnable games on the road, though, and we need to take care of that.”

Davis returned after sitting out all but 10 minutes of the Clippers’ November schedule with a sore left knee. The fragile guard had missed 14 of Los Angeles’ last 15 games, but he took over in the final minutes for rookie starter Eric Bledsoe, who managed just five points.

San Antonio had won nine straight over Los Angeles at Staples Center, but the Spurs clearly had little energy, making just six of their 21 shots in the final period. Duncan was held scoreless, and Richard Jefferson got just three of his 13 points in the final period.

“You have to give the credit to their defense and to their energy, so I’m happy for them,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s the NBA, and anybody can beat anybody at any time.”

Tony Parker had just two points on 1-for-6 shooting and sat out most of the second half for the Spurs, playing just 2:28 in the third quarter. Several celebrity news outlets reported he had lunch earlier Wednesday with his estranged actress wife, Eva Longoria, who filed for divorce last month.

San Antonio led 38-30 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first half before the Clippers roared away on an 18-2 run led by three 3-pointers by Rasual Butler and two late baskets by Griffin. The Spurs missed 14 of their last 15 shots in the first half, including nine straight while falling behind 48-40.

NOTES: Kaman missed his 11th straight game with a sprained ankle. The club hasn’t projected a firm return date for the former All-Star center. Foye also missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. … The clubs concluded their season series with their third meeting. … When Duncan fell to the court holding his foot in the second quarter after drawing a foul on an apparently clean block by DeAndre Jordan, a fan near courtside screamed: “We know bad acting, Tim Duncan. This is L.A.!” … Fans near courtside included director Penny Marshall and actress Sasha Grey.

[duncan228]

Notes on a scorecard: Those were the Clippers, weren’t they? (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/12/02/notes-on-a-scorecard-those-were-the-clippers-werent-they/)
Tim Griffin

...Tony Parker is officially in a slump. He played only 18:02 in Wednesday’s game and was limited to a season-low two points on 1-for-6 shooting. He just seemed out of the game offensive and on defense and was minus-11 in plus-minus. After averaging 19.3 points per game and scoring in double figures in his first 14 games, Parker is averaging 7.3 points and shooting 32.5 percent over the last four games. Maybe the homestand will help boost his confidence back to where he was playing earlier in the season when he ranked among the best point guards in the NBA.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/12/02/notes-on-a-scorecard-those-were-the-clippers-werent-they/

[objective]

Typical Pro-Bonner tactics following a playoff-esque Bonner performance.

Bonner plays like garbage? Shift blame onto the big 3. Nevermind that another roleplayer like Neal stepped his game up to actually help the big 3.

Bonner plays poorly? Make believe that Splitter was just as awful.

:rollin

[Brazil]

it's a jinx



this game is a trap we are doomed gordon going for 30, griff is going to score 30 too on bonner

:depressed

[elec99]

The one game I get to go to and this...
Well you could tell the energy just wasnt there, in addition you cant win if you cant make open shots. I'm just surprised duncan played 30 mins, thought pop wouldve cut his pt because of the back to back and forced others to pick up the slack.

[LegendaryFan44]

Somebody told the Spurs to fuck up in this game..I label this game as suspect..tired was no excuse for the bricks they were throwing up tonite...and TP looks like his mom just died ..I know the situation is rough...but stop generating negative energy.

[duncan228]

Los Angeles Clippers 90, San Antonio Spurs 85: Where the shots weren’t the only things off target (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)
by Andrew A. McNeill
48 Minutes of Hell

Say it with me folks: there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs. There are no back-to-backs in the playoffs. There are no back-to-backs in the playoffs.

Ultimately, a 20-2 run over most of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter doomed the San Antonio Spurs in their 90-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. During that stretch, the Spurs missed 15 straight shots.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/san-antonio-spurs-los-angeles-clippers-tired-shots-tired-passing#more-11640)

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Poor performance by the Spurs. Mainly the 20-2 run in the 2nd quarter, but other than that, there was a lot of sloppy shooting, and Tony was really out of this one. Barley even played any minutes. Can't win em' all on the road.

Forgot this game Spurs, and just focus on the Pups on Friday.

[Dex]

Views from the Other Side:



http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clippers-spurs-20101202,0,4889892.story

Clippers, finally, get the best of Spurs, 90-85
Blake Griffin's latest monster effort (31 points, 13 rebounds) helps the Clippers end an 18-game losing streak to San Antonio.

By Lisa Dillman

Nobody beats the Clippers 19 times in a row.

You have to remember Blake Griffin was only on hand and on the scene for two of their 18 straight losses to the San Antonio Spurs.

Just call him the streak-buster. And bust it he did.

Dunk by explosive dunk.

Griffin had 31 points and 13 rebounds and four assists in the Clippers' 90-85 victory over the Spurs on Wednesday night at Staples Center. It was their first win against the Spurs since March 7, 2006.

Three of the Clippers' four wins have come against powers in the Western Conference — Oklahoma City, New Orleans and now the Spurs, who had come here with the league's best record, losing just twice before Wednesday. The Clippers are now 4-15.

That was the major plot line. But there were so many more subplots.

First, the return of the missing point guard Baron Davis.

As in missing from the lineup for the last month, save for a brief 10-minute appearance in New Orleans on Nov. 9. He had played in the opening three games of the season before succumbing to injuries.

Davis, who was sidelined because of a swollen left knee, looked sharp and had that extra bounce in his step, which was immediately noticeable. Not only did he have 10 assists and seven points in 23 minutes off the bench, but he also made nearly everyone noticeably better.

Griffin, who was named the league's Western Conference rookie of the month, was the leading example, making 14 of 21 shots.

"It's great to have him back," Griffin said of Davis in his on-court TV interview. "He makes it easier for all of us."

For Griffin, it was his 12th double-double in 19 games this season and sixth in a row. He had his usual array of devastating dunks including an especially sweet reverse dunk in the second half.

"My teammates did a great job of just finding me in the right places," Griffin said. "It just makes it easy on me. I had so many easy buckets tonight because of my teammates.

Said Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro: "He's just going to get better. At times he can do things that are easy for him that other people can't do."

And, in some ways, it was more impressive than his 44-point showing against the New York Knicks. Well, the Spurs aren't exactly the Knicks, meaning there was some semblance of defense.

"That's his game — to be over you," said guard Eric Gordon, who had 21 points. "It's hard for any defender to come at him. They are a good defensive team and he hit a lot of tough shots."

Not only did Griffin make shots under tight pressure, but he also hit a bank shot when he was falling backward, having slipped on the court. Gordon was impressed by the shots not destined for the highlight reel.

"All the dunking, that was pretty good. But I like some of his low-post moves," Gordon said. "I like seeing that more than his highlights."

As for Griffin, he expanded upon the return of Davis and what it meant in the larger sense for the Clippers.

"I think he showed everybody how talented he is. Some people tend to forget," Griffin said. "Just the way he gets into the lane and finds people. He can get into the lane and almost make a circle around the entire half court and still have the ball, still have his dribble and still be looking for people at the same time.

"Baron is an All-Star because of what he does. He still has it. He can still find us like that. Just the energy he brings. Not having him hurt."

Etc.

The Clippers' long injury list has been whittled down to two — guard Randy Foye and center Chris Kaman.

And the way it is looking, Kaman may be back in action before Foye, who is dealing with a strained left hamstring and suffered a setback when he returned to the lineup recently.

Clippers announcer Ralph Lawler missed the game when he was caught in a traffic jam on Interstate 10, commuting from his home in La Quinta. Traffic was brought to a standstill for hours because of a fatal accident near the Cabazon area.

[email protected]

twitter.com/reallisa