Spurs at Jazz Previews

[duncan228]

Game is Wednesday, 8:30 CST. Duncan is probable. Bonner is out.

Edit:
Reminder -- The game is on ESPN tonight.


Wednesday: Spurs (38-7) at Jazz (27-18) (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/01/26/wednesday-spurs-38-7-at-jazz-27-18/)
Jeff McDonald

...After being swept by Jazz last season, Spurs claimed first meeting 85-72 on Nov. 19. Parker scored 24 points in that game, while Duncan had 19 points and 14 rebounds...Miles, Utah’s leading bench scorer at 11.9 points, made his first start of season Tuesday at L.A.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/01/26/wednesday-spurs-38-7-at-jazz-27-18/

[DesignatedT]

Utah got destroyed by LA tonight. They should be looking for a comeback win at home.

[justinandimcool]

Back to back and playing horrible. Absolutely no excuses to lose to this team, even without Tim.

[timtonymanu]

I'm not one that likes to throw the cliche around about having a bad feeling about the game, but I do.

Utah got embarrassed today and is in need of a win. I expect them to play very aggressive tomorrow. Hopefully the Spurs know whats up.

[duncan228]

San Antonio (38-7) at Utah (27-18) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011012626)
Tipoff: 9:30 pm EST Wed Jan 26, 2011
TV: ESPN, FSUT
By Matt Becker

The Utah Jazz are likely excited about returning home following a winless five-game road trip.

They’re probably not too thrilled, however, to see who’s waiting for them.

The NBA-best San Antonio Spurs, who expect to have Tim Duncan in their lineup, look to hand the scuffling Jazz a sixth straight defeat Wednesday night.

After winning five of its first seven games of January, Utah (27-18) set off on a week-long trip featuring several favorable matchups. The Jazz failed to pick up a single victory, however, losing to last-place teams Washington and New Jersey, as well as Boston, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The loss to the Lakers on Tuesday was especially embarrassing. Utah fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter, 28 in the second and ended up losing 120-91.

“We’ve lacked chemistry and continuity on offense and on defense and we’re not trusting each other,” Deron Williams said. “We couldn’t execute and we couldn’t get stops against teams with the worst records in the NBA, and coming in to play one of the better teams in the league, it got ugly.”

A sluggish offense has been the biggest reason for Utah’s longest skid since dropping six straight Dec. 4-14, 2007.

The Jazz are averaging 91.6 points in the last five games after averaging 118.3 in winning their previous three. Getting their offense on track could be difficult against a Spurs team that has held nine of its last 10 opponents to 97 points or fewer.

While Utah, 12-4 at home since Nov. 22, has dropped each of its last five games, San Antonio has just five losses in its last 30 contests.

Part of the reason the Spurs (38-7) have been so successful is they’ve managed to avoid injury, playing with the same starting five in every game this season. It looked like that streak could be in jeopardy, though, when Duncan left Monday’s 113-102 win over Golden State with a left knee injury.

Duncan was setting a pick in the second quarter when he turned to roll to the basket and his knee buckled slightly. The 12-time All-Star fell to the floor and had to be helped up before eventually walking to the locker room under his own power.

The injury doesn’t seem as serious as it originally appeared, as Duncan returned to start the third quarter. Diagnosed with a hyperflexed left knee, Duncan played his usual minutes, finished with 16 points and seven rebounds and showed no signs of being hobbled.

“I think he’s going to be all right,” Gregg Popovich said. “He just kind of hyperextended it, but he said it felt good, worked it out and said it was good. He’s his own best judge.”

With Monday’s victory, the Spurs clinched the Western Conference’s best record through Feb. 6, meaning Popovich will coach the West in the All-Star game.

The All-Star game’s starting lineups will be announced Thursday, and there’s a chance Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker could be named to the West’s roster.

Ginobili, who averages a team-high 18.6 points, had 20 points and seven assists against the Warriors, with Parker adding 18 points and 11 assists.

Parker had 24 points and seven assists to lead the Spurs to a 94-82 win in Utah on Nov. 19, while Duncan had 19 points and 14 rebounds, as San Antonio snapped a four-game losing streak in the series.

Williams, fourth in the NBA with an average of 9.4 assists, had 23 points for the Jazz in the first meeting but matched a season low with five assists. Utah is 1-9 when Williams has six or fewer assists.

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Manu Ginobili SA 18.6
Deron Williams Uta 21.7

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 9.5
Al Jefferson Uta 8.8

Assists
Tony Parker SA 7.0
Deron Williams Uta 9.5

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011012626

[Brutalis]

I dunno how I feel about Duncan playing. I think if he is the least bit sore just sit him and let him rest. Otherwise he should play.

[Budkin]

They were winless on their road trip? Christ they are going to go nuts at home.

[Manu-of-steel]

This would be a difficult game for the spurs. Hope we can blow them out early, then rest Duncan more.

[Manu-of-steel]

It's Raja Bell of Utah waiting to guard Manu. Hope Manu has not forgotten what Bell did to him once. Go Manu, go berserk against Bell and the Jazz. Go spurs!

[shelshor]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Wed. Jan. 26
San Antonio @ Utah: Derrick Stafford; Bennie Adams; Kevin Fehr

[ElNono]

Hate it when we play there. They fucking mug you and you get no whistle at all.
At least we already survived Joey against the Warriors.

[Budkin]

Watching them play in the Mormon Center always gives me flashbacks to the days when the Jazz owned our asses.

[Brutalis]

Reminder -- The game is on ESPN tonight.

[silverblk mystix]

this is what pisses me off about the Jizz...

they ALWAYS-ALWAYS-ALWAYS

bend over willingly for the lakers...hell...D Will was actually and literally bending over--BEFORE even playing the game ( in his comments to the media regarding the lakers)

...

however...

against the spurs...

the Jizz will play like the usa dream team...

[Rummpd]

Duncan is probable. Bonner is out.

Better than the reverse but I would not be surprised at all to have Duncan not play this one.

[duncan228]

Advanced Scouting: San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-stats-advanced-scouting-utah-jazz-1-26)
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of Hell

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-stats-advanced-scouting-utah-jazz-1-26

[duncan228]

Reminder -- The game is on ESPN tonight.

Thanks! Forgot to mention it. :)

[duncan228]

Popovich, Spurs wary of struggling Jazz (http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/51127975-87/antonio-jazz-popovich-san.html.csp)
By Steve Luhm
The Salt Lake Tribune

Two teams headed in the opposite direction meet Wednesday night at EnergySolutions.

San Antonio has won nine of its last 10 and built the best record in the Western Conference (38-7).

Utah has lost five in a row after being waxed by the Lakers on Tuesday night in Los Angeles 120-91.

The Jazz are in danger of falling into seventh place in the Western Conference standings, if they can’t snap their losing streak against San Antonio and if Denver wins in Detroit.

Despite the different roads the teams have taken to get to this point in their seasons, Spurs coach Greg Popovich isn’t taking anything for granted in Utah.

“Hopefully, our team will focus because, frankly, this is just what the doctor ordered for the Jazz,” Popovich said at San Antonio’s morning shootaround.

“They’ve had a tough road trip but they are coming home where they have great fans. It’s going to be noisy and they want to get back on track and we have the best record and duh-duh-dah. It’s perfect. So we better have them laced up and be ready for a hell of a fight or we’ll have big problems.”

San Antonio’s Tim Duncan will play against the Jazz.

Duncan injured his knee in the first half of San Antonio’s 113-102 win at Golden State on Monday night.

“For a moment,” Manu Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News, “we thought it was really bad.”

Duncan’s injury turned out to be a hyperflexed knee, however, and he returned to play in the secon half after assuring Popovich he was fine.

“I just fell wrong,” said Duncan, who ended with 16 points and seven rebounds. “It feels fine. All I know is I went down kind of awkward.”

Said teammate Antonio McDyess, “I was scared for him. I saw him rolling around on the ground and I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”

The Spurs have avoided injuries this season.

Against the Jazz, Popovich expects to start the same starting lineup for the 46th straight time.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/51127975-87/antonio-jazz-popovich-san.html.csp

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


San Antonio at Utah (http://sltrib.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-preview.aspx?page=/data/NBA/matchups/g5_preview_10.html)
When: 9:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

THE STORY: What did the Utah Jazz do to make enemies with the NBA schedule maker? The Jazz host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night on the heels of their 120-91 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Spurs are well-rested after their 113-102 victory at Golden State on Monday night. And with the NBA’s best record, they are sleeping quite well these days. The Jazz have lost five straight – all on the road – by an average of 13.8 points, and have allowed 107.4 points per game during the slide, 8.1 above their season average.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS-Utah, CW35

ABOUT THE JAZZ (27-18): Tuesday’s 29-point loss matched Utah’s worst of the season. No one is panicking, though, and coach Jerry Sloan said he's "not going to jump off any buildings.’’ The Jazz haven’t endured an 0-5 road trip since 2005. Utah hopes C.J. Miles can fill the scoresheet more, but even that can’t help right now. Miles, who has averaged 10 points during the losing streak, had 14 Tuesday. The Jazz are 14-2 this season when Miles scores 14 or more points. Utah, which is 1½ games behind Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division, is 7-4 on second nights of back-to-back games.

ABOUT THE SPURS (38-7): San Antonio has an 8 1/2-game lead over New Orleans in the Southwest Division and a 5 1/2-game margin over the Lakers in the Western Conference. Tim Duncan limped off the court with a hyperextended left knee in the second quarter of Monday’s 113-102 victory at Golden State, but returned after halftime. The Spurs were held to a season-low 72 points in their previous game, a loss at New Orleans. Manu Ginobili leads San Antonio in scoring at 18.6 per game, 3.4 above his career average. The Spurs, who have won nine of their past 10 games, are 31-1 when leading after three quarters.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: The Spurs’ Antonio McDyess scored a season-high 14 points Monday. San Antonio’s Tony Parker has 10 or more assists in two of his last three games. Jazz guard Deron Williams averaged 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds in losses to Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey, but 11 and seven in setbacks to Boston and Los Angeles.

KEY STATISTIC: San Antonio owns a decided edge in rebounding at 43.2 per game (seventh) compared to Utah’s 38.6 (28th).

SEASON SERIES: The Spurs won the first meeting 94-82 at Utah on Nov. 19. Parker had 24 points and seven assists, and Duncan had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Utah swept the season series 4-0 in 2009-10.

KEY INJURIES: SAN ANTONIO: F Matt Bonner (knee); G James Anderson (foot). UTAH: None.

LAST WORD: San Antonio is third behind Miami and Boston in point differential at plus-7.4 per game, and its last eight games have been decided by seven or more points. Utah is plus-1.2.

Stats and Records (http://sltrib.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-preview.aspx?page=/data/NBA/matchups/g5_preview_10.html)

http://sltrib.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-preview.aspx?page=/data/NBA/matchups/g5_preview_10.html

[DesignatedT]

Back to back and playing horrible. Absolutely no excuses to lose to this team, even without Tim.

That isn't always the case. This team is a totally different team at home then when they are on the road and playing poorly over a stretch brings out maximum effort.

[balli]

this is what pisses me off about the Jizz...

they ALWAYS-ALWAYS-ALWAYS

bend over willingly for the lakers...hell...D Will was actually and literally bending over--BEFORE even playing the game ( in his comments to the media regarding the lakers)

...

however...

against the spurs...

the Jizz will play like the usa dream team...

Maybe you'll be right and I'll be proven wrong, but I'd imagine the Jazz lose by upwards of 25 points (again) tonight. Probably without your Spurs trying too hard. :depressed

[DesignatedT]

The Jazz will be in this game. It's going to be close.

[TiMMeH*faN*frOmNY]

Maybe you'll be right and I'll be proven wrong, but I'd imagine the Jazz lose by upwards of 25 points (again) tonight. Probably without your Spurs trying too hard. :depressed

ITS A JINX I TELL YOU!
http://rule34-images.paheal.net/_images/e077cd1c92c4c06b202623bd3ca447b8/318389%20-%20Cyborg%20DC%20DCAU%20Zone%20jinx%20teen_titans. jpg

[jestersmash]

I'm not one that likes to throw the cliche around about having a bad feeling about the game, but I do.

Utah got embarrassed today and is in need of a win. I expect them to play very aggressive tomorrow. Hopefully the Spurs know whats up.

I prefer it that way.

Why have the spurs rack up easy wins against mentally defeated teams? You want to play playoff teams at their best in the regular season. Better practice that way.

I hated having to play the Mavericks without Dirk a couple of weeks back.

[Horse]

Watching them play in the Mormon Center always gives me flashbacks to the days when the Jazz owned our asses.
That's cause that faggot malone was allowed to karate chop DROB in the post and steal the ball with no call.

[ChuckD]

I dunno how I feel about Duncan playing. I think if he is the least bit sore just sit him and let him rest. Otherwise he should play.

Under that scenario, he wouldn't have played at all this year.

Trust Pop. He's more nervous than a mother, and if he's playing him, Tim is fine.

[Budkin]

I'm not one that likes to throw the cliche around about having a bad feeling about the game, but I do.

Utah got embarrassed today and is in need of a win. I expect them to play very aggressive tomorrow. Hopefully the Spurs know whats up.

Same here... another blowout loss would not surprise me.

[duncan228]

Trust Pop. He's more nervous than a mother, and if he's playing him, Tim is fine.

True. Duncan would not have played the second half if there was any question.


“I think he’s going to be all right,” Popovich said. “He just kind of hyperextended it, but he said it felt good, worked it out and said it was good. He’s his own best judge.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011012409


"I told him if he felt the slightest pain, any tweak, if it stiffened up on him at all, to let us know and we’d get him out,” Popovich said.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/01/26/duncans-big-scare-serves-as-reminder/

[duncan228]

Sorry, missed these earlier. Better late than never. :)

Coach Pop pregame

http://www.nba.com/jazz/video/2011/01/26/VID01256MP4-1534537/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

Manu Ginobili on facing the Jazz

http://www.nba.com/jazz/video/2011/01/26/VID01257MP4-1534536/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2