Spurs vs Kings Previews

[duncan228]

Game is Wednesday, 7:30 CST.


Wednesday: Kings (23-54) at Spurs (59-19) (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/05/wednesday-kings-23-54-at-spurs-59-19/)
Jeff McDonald

...Tonight marks just the fourth time in 17 back-to-backs Spurs play second night at home. Spurs are 10-6 this season in back-to-back closers, including 2-1 at home...

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/05/wednesday-kings-23-54-at-spurs-59-19/

[Sean Cagney]

THEY NEED THIS ONE! GO GET IT SPURS and keep that #1 seed! We need the next two, and the rest should be cool unless LA wins out.

[DesignatedT]

THEY NEED THIS ONE! GO GET IT SPURS and keep that #1 seed! We need the next two, and the rest should be cool unless LA wins out.

We still get the 1 seed if LA wins out and we go 3-1 in our last 4 games.

[wontstartdumbthreads]

Kings on back to back also. But Spurs can't take this for granted. Kings have nothing to lose and their current spot is locked in. They've had some decent wins this year.

[tdunk21]

if lakers lose to jazz, do we still need to win 3 more for 1st seed and hca?

[wontstartdumbthreads]

if lakers lose to jazz, do we still need to win 3 more for 1st seed and hca?

We would have to not lose to the Lakers by more than 5 points.

[timtonymanu]

Chances another bat makes it way in the AT&T Center?

Obviously the Spurs can't lose against this scrub team so let's win Spurs!

[Juggity]

Chances another bat makes it way in the AT&T Center?

Obviously the Spurs can't lose against this scrub team so let's win Spurs!

Pretty sure somebody snuck that bat into the AT&T center the second time...The chance that it would happen again on its own precisely during a Kings game but no other games seems astronomically small.

[Budkin]

Last time around they hung with us the whole game and gave us a scare. Tomorrow we need to put the game out of reach and keep it that way.

[tdunk21]

if lakers lose to jazz, do we still need to win 3 more for 1st seed and hca?

http://twitter.com/#!/jmcdonald_saen


Kobe turnover, Lakers lose. Spurs' magic number down to 2. Meaning they can clinch No. 1 seed on homestand that begins Wed vs. SAC.

[duncan228]

Sacramento (23-54) at San Antonio (59-19) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011040624)
Tipoff: 8:30 pm EDT Wed Apr 6, 2011
TV: CSCA, FSSW
By Chris Altruda

It’s hard to imagine a team with the NBA’s best record facing a crisis in confidence.

The San Antonio Spurs appear to have avoided such a fate as they host Sacramento on Wednesday night looking for their 12th straight victory over the Kings.

Early last month, the Spurs (59-19) seemed on cruise control en route to home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Injuries then caught up to San Antonio during a six-game losing streak - its longest since drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in 1997 - as its lead over the two-time reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers shrunk to 1 1/2 games by April 1.

The negative vibes from that skid appear to have dissipated with a pair of wins. The Spurs defeated Phoenix on Sunday and emerged with a 97-90 victory Wednesday at Atlanta to snap a four-game road losing streak.

“Finally!” said Tony Parker, who contrasted the Spurs’ strong finish with the team’s problems in closing out games.

“If we don’t learn from those, something’s wrong with us,” he said.

Parker finished with 26 points and Manu Ginobili added 18 as the Spurs extended their lead over the Lakers to 3 1/2 games with four to play.

“We were a little shaky the last couple weeks,” Ginobili said. “But we are still out there and we are optimistic, but yet I don’t feel that we are playing our best basketball right now.”

Parker has been a key reason San Antonio has extended its mastery of Sacramento this season, averaging 26.0 points on 62.9 percent shooting in a pair of victories. The Spurs also have an eight-game home winning streak versus the Kings since a 97-87 defeat April 5, 2006.

The Kings have not beaten the Spurs anywhere since a 112-99 home victory Nov. 26, 2007.

Another victory would give the Spurs the fourth 60-win season in franchise history, and their first since 2005-06.

While Sacramento (23-54) will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season, it has been playing its best basketball the past two weeks. The Kings shot 53 percent in a 104-101 victory at Houston on Tuesday, their seventh win in 10 games.

“We are playing hard and together as a team,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said. “We finally have our team together, and we like what we see. I give our players credit for their continued improvement. The players are making a statement that they care about things.”

Samuel Dalembert and DeMarcus Cousins each had double-doubles while pulling down 15 rebounds apiece Tuesday, and Marcus Thornton had 21 points. He has averaged 21.5 points in 21 games since being acquired from New Orleans on Feb. 23, cracking Sacramento’s starting five almost immediately after the deal.

Dalembert has been a big part of Sacramento’s improved play, averaging 11.0 points and 11.1 rebounds with six double-doubles in the last 10 games. He has averaged 10.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 15 lifetime games versus the Spurs, shooting 63.7 percent.

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Tyreke Evans Sac 17.9
Manu Ginobili SA 17.6

Rebounds
DeMarcus Cousins Sac 8.6
Tim Duncan SA 9.0

Assists
Tyreke Evans Sac 5.6
Tony Parker SA 6.6

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

Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

Sacramento 23-54 5th Pacific / 14th West 99.2 104.2 Road 12-26 Won 2 7-3
San Antonio 59-19 1st Southwest / 1st West 103.5 97.8 Home 34-5 Won 2 4-6

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011040624

[TE]

Easy win tomorrow. The big three should be getting limited minutes. And Pop should be emptying out the bench. I sense a big game for Novak and Splitter.

[TE]

Easy win tomorrow. The big three should be getting limited minutes. And Pop should be emptying out the bench. I sense a big game for Novak and Splitter.

Of course this is considering if Novak plays a reasonable amount of time.

[Man In Black]

What the Kings are thinking now...
http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/DisneylandMickyMinnie.jpg

[Fireball]

lets rest Manu, Dice and Tim a little bit ... get the W and nearer to HCA ...

[Budkin]

Easy win tomorrow. The big three should be getting limited minutes. And Pop should be emptying out the bench. I sense a big game for Novak and Splitter.

Sounds like the Kings are starting to gel and may be testing the waters for next year. We'll win the game, but they should not be taken lightly.

[ego]

Team Leader in points is wrong : now the leader is TP with 17,7 !

[shelshor]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignment
Wed. Apr. 6
Sacramento @ San Antonio: Bill Spooner; Curtis Blair; Eric Lewis

[duncan228]

Advanced Scouting: Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of Hell

Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs 7:30 CST April 6, 2011

The Spurs hopes of nailing down the top spot in the West took a huge step forward last night as they beat the Hawks 97-90. After the Lakers loss to the Jazz, the Spurs lead has increased to 3.5 games (3 in the loss column) with 4 games to play.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-stats-advanced-scouting-sacramento-kings-4-6#more-13524)