ducks
02-01-2006, 09:51 AM
San Antonio (35-10) at Portland (16-27)
Preview - Box Score - Recap
Game Info: 10:00 pm EST Wed Feb 1, 2006
TV: KGW, KRRT Add to Calendar
Buy Tickets
The San Antonio Spurs have never had a lot of difficulty during their annual "rodeo road trip."
They hope to continue that success when they face a Portland Trail Blazers team they've dominated over the last three years.
The Spurs are forced out of the AT&T Center every February when the rodeo comes to town, but the trip hasn't been a problem for them. San Antonio opened this year's eight-game trek with a 79-70 win over Utah Monday, improving to 20-4 on the trip since 2003.
San Antonio won't play at home again until after the All-Star break.
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"We get a lot of our personality as a team on the road and this was a great time for it," said Tim Duncan, who had 19 points and eight rebounds against the Jazz.
The Spurs have won four straight and eight of nine overall, including four in a row on the road.
San Antonio had one of its worst offensive performances of the season on Monday, but held Utah to 32 percent shooting, forced 16 turnovers and had eight steals.
"We held them to 70 points, so I guess our defense got us through this," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Portland, including a 106-75 rout on Jan. 4.
The Trail Blazers, though, are coming off their highest-scoring game of the season, a 116-111 win over Seattle on Monday that snapped their four-game road losing streak. It was just the fourth time this season Portland scored over 100 points.
The game was Portland coach Nate McMillan's first in Seattle after spending 19 years there as a player and coach before taking the Blazers' job in the offseason.
"I would be lying if I said that it wouldn't be special," McMillan said. "Of course, I think anytime that a player or a coach leaves an organization you come back and you want to win. These guys came out and did what we asked of them. They were pumped for me and I thought the guys were really playing this game for me."
Zach Randolph had 32 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who got 41 points from their reserves and outrebounded the Sonics 47-33.
"I'd say we played for (McMillan)," Randolph said. "We played for ourselves to, but a lot of guys knew he wanted it bad. He never said anything like 'go out there and play for me,' but you could tell."
Preview - Box Score - Recap
Game Info: 10:00 pm EST Wed Feb 1, 2006
TV: KGW, KRRT Add to Calendar
Buy Tickets
The San Antonio Spurs have never had a lot of difficulty during their annual "rodeo road trip."
They hope to continue that success when they face a Portland Trail Blazers team they've dominated over the last three years.
The Spurs are forced out of the AT&T Center every February when the rodeo comes to town, but the trip hasn't been a problem for them. San Antonio opened this year's eight-game trek with a 79-70 win over Utah Monday, improving to 20-4 on the trip since 2003.
San Antonio won't play at home again until after the All-Star break.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We get a lot of our personality as a team on the road and this was a great time for it," said Tim Duncan, who had 19 points and eight rebounds against the Jazz.
The Spurs have won four straight and eight of nine overall, including four in a row on the road.
San Antonio had one of its worst offensive performances of the season on Monday, but held Utah to 32 percent shooting, forced 16 turnovers and had eight steals.
"We held them to 70 points, so I guess our defense got us through this," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Portland, including a 106-75 rout on Jan. 4.
The Trail Blazers, though, are coming off their highest-scoring game of the season, a 116-111 win over Seattle on Monday that snapped their four-game road losing streak. It was just the fourth time this season Portland scored over 100 points.
The game was Portland coach Nate McMillan's first in Seattle after spending 19 years there as a player and coach before taking the Blazers' job in the offseason.
"I would be lying if I said that it wouldn't be special," McMillan said. "Of course, I think anytime that a player or a coach leaves an organization you come back and you want to win. These guys came out and did what we asked of them. They were pumped for me and I thought the guys were really playing this game for me."
Zach Randolph had 32 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who got 41 points from their reserves and outrebounded the Sonics 47-33.
"I'd say we played for (McMillan)," Randolph said. "We played for ourselves to, but a lot of guys knew he wanted it bad. He never said anything like 'go out there and play for me,' but you could tell."