Solid D
01-26-2006, 01:31 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA012606.1C.BKNspurs.hornets.gamer.17964bac.html
Web Posted: 01/26/2006 12:13 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — After watching New Orleans miss one shot after another for the better part of three quarters Wednesday night, one disillusioned fan glanced up at the scoreboard, saw the Hornets finally had crossed the 40-point threshold and sighed.
"Well," he said, "we're halfway to Kobe."
By the time the Spurs finished their 84-68 victory and silenced the Ford Center's usually frenetic sellout crowd of 19,289, the Hornets had fallen far short of matching the 81-point standard Kobe Bryant established earlier this week.
Nor had they come close to duplicating the rousing performance they produced the last time NBA's defending champions visited.
Relying on defense and rebounding to overcome their own poor shooting, the Spurs held New Orleans to its fewest points of the season. Before the teams emptied their benches midway through the fourth quarter, the Hornets seemed well on their way to breaking the franchise's all-time low (65) as well as this season's league low (60).
"I remember the last time we were here and the whooping they put on us," Nick Van Exel said of the Spurs' 89-76 loss here Dec. 18. "As a team, we were more focused and more aggressive this time."
As a result, the Spurs won on consecutive nights for the first time this season. Tuesday's 104-76 victory over Charlotte at the AT&T Center allowed Tim Duncan and the other starters to get a little extra rest before arriving here.
Duncan's sore right foot has particularly troubled him in back-to-backs. During the Spurs' loss here last month — which also was a back-to-back — he missed eight of his 12 shots, matched his season-low with 11 points and committed four of the team's 23 turnovers.
The Spurs didn't have to wait long Tuesday to see how he was feeling. Duncan buried a turnaround jump shot on the game's opening possession then followed with an 18-footer. A little more than three minutes later, he made a 15-foot fadeaway to put New Orleans in a 13-2 hole.
"I felt good," said Duncan, who scored a game-high 17 points. "I felt like I was moving pretty well. I wasn't in a lot of pain."
Duncan even banked in an 18-footer in the third quarter — "Amazingly enough," he said — that brought smiles to the faces of his teammates and coaches.
"He hadn't made one of those in five years," Tony Parker said, laughing. "I thought he shot it with confidence tonight."
Van Exel scored all 13 of his points in the first half to help break open the game. He made four 3-pointers, including a pair on consecutive possessions.
After not taking a single shot in 17 minutes Tuesday against the Bobcats, Van Exel evidently found his stroke sometime during the flight from San Antonio.
"I asked him if his (left) elbow was hurting because he didn't look like he wanted to take a shot," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But it just worked out that way. Tonight he made up for it."
Duncan and Van Exel provided enough scoring on a night when the Spurs shot a season-low 37.2 percent, yet still led 66-44 after three quarters.
That was because New Orleans shot 31 percent. Chris Paul and Speedy Claxton, the Hornets' two cat-quick guards, missed 20 of their 25 shots.
"They were driving and jumping into us a lot," Duncan said, "and I thought we did a good job of keeping them back and not giving them fouls."
The Spurs also outrebounded the Hornets 50-42, including a 15-8 differential on the offensive boards — one of Popovich's main concerns in recent weeks.
"Any time you play a team as good as they are, and they remember what you did to them last time," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said, "they want to make a statement."
The Spurs succumbed to the Hornets' energy and aggressiveness during their last visit here. Eleven days later, they blitzed New Orleans 111-84 at the SBC Center.
"It's just one of those lessons," Popovich said. "Everybody is in the NBA and anybody can beat anybody. You have to bring the juice every night."
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Web Posted: 01/26/2006 12:13 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — After watching New Orleans miss one shot after another for the better part of three quarters Wednesday night, one disillusioned fan glanced up at the scoreboard, saw the Hornets finally had crossed the 40-point threshold and sighed.
"Well," he said, "we're halfway to Kobe."
By the time the Spurs finished their 84-68 victory and silenced the Ford Center's usually frenetic sellout crowd of 19,289, the Hornets had fallen far short of matching the 81-point standard Kobe Bryant established earlier this week.
Nor had they come close to duplicating the rousing performance they produced the last time NBA's defending champions visited.
Relying on defense and rebounding to overcome their own poor shooting, the Spurs held New Orleans to its fewest points of the season. Before the teams emptied their benches midway through the fourth quarter, the Hornets seemed well on their way to breaking the franchise's all-time low (65) as well as this season's league low (60).
"I remember the last time we were here and the whooping they put on us," Nick Van Exel said of the Spurs' 89-76 loss here Dec. 18. "As a team, we were more focused and more aggressive this time."
As a result, the Spurs won on consecutive nights for the first time this season. Tuesday's 104-76 victory over Charlotte at the AT&T Center allowed Tim Duncan and the other starters to get a little extra rest before arriving here.
Duncan's sore right foot has particularly troubled him in back-to-backs. During the Spurs' loss here last month — which also was a back-to-back — he missed eight of his 12 shots, matched his season-low with 11 points and committed four of the team's 23 turnovers.
The Spurs didn't have to wait long Tuesday to see how he was feeling. Duncan buried a turnaround jump shot on the game's opening possession then followed with an 18-footer. A little more than three minutes later, he made a 15-foot fadeaway to put New Orleans in a 13-2 hole.
"I felt good," said Duncan, who scored a game-high 17 points. "I felt like I was moving pretty well. I wasn't in a lot of pain."
Duncan even banked in an 18-footer in the third quarter — "Amazingly enough," he said — that brought smiles to the faces of his teammates and coaches.
"He hadn't made one of those in five years," Tony Parker said, laughing. "I thought he shot it with confidence tonight."
Van Exel scored all 13 of his points in the first half to help break open the game. He made four 3-pointers, including a pair on consecutive possessions.
After not taking a single shot in 17 minutes Tuesday against the Bobcats, Van Exel evidently found his stroke sometime during the flight from San Antonio.
"I asked him if his (left) elbow was hurting because he didn't look like he wanted to take a shot," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But it just worked out that way. Tonight he made up for it."
Duncan and Van Exel provided enough scoring on a night when the Spurs shot a season-low 37.2 percent, yet still led 66-44 after three quarters.
That was because New Orleans shot 31 percent. Chris Paul and Speedy Claxton, the Hornets' two cat-quick guards, missed 20 of their 25 shots.
"They were driving and jumping into us a lot," Duncan said, "and I thought we did a good job of keeping them back and not giving them fouls."
The Spurs also outrebounded the Hornets 50-42, including a 15-8 differential on the offensive boards — one of Popovich's main concerns in recent weeks.
"Any time you play a team as good as they are, and they remember what you did to them last time," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said, "they want to make a statement."
The Spurs succumbed to the Hornets' energy and aggressiveness during their last visit here. Eleven days later, they blitzed New Orleans 111-84 at the SBC Center.
"It's just one of those lessons," Popovich said. "Everybody is in the NBA and anybody can beat anybody. You have to bring the juice every night."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]