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This wont be easy since the starters will be exhausted from the Mavs game.
Wednesday: Hawks (12-8) at Spurs (12-8)
Express-News -
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: KMYS
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - HAWKS
PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 10 Mike Bibby (6-1, 11th yr)
Bibby has been a stabilizing force since arriving from Sacramento last season.
SG - 20 Manu Ginobili (6-6, 7th yr) - 2 Joe Johnson (6-7, 8th yr)
Ginobili still not in groove after offseason ankle surgery, but getting there.
SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 5 Josh Smith (6-9, 5th yr)
Smith the youngest player in history to log 800 career blocks.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 24 Marvin Williams (6-9, 4th yr)
Duncan has never lost at home to the Hawks.
C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 15 Al Horford (6-10, 2nd yr)
Horford battling sprained ankle but had 14 points and eight boards Tuesday.
SPURS RESERVES
12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 5th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
7 Fabricio Oberto, C/F, 6-10, 4th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr
HAWKS RESERVES
1 Maurice Evans, G/F, 6-5, 6th yr
44 Solomon Jones, C/F, 6-10, 3rd yr
4 Acie Law, G, 6-3, 2nd yr
33 Randolph Morris, C, 6-11, 3rd yr
22 Flip Murray, G, 6-3, 7th yr
27 Zaza Pachulia, C, 6-11, 6th yr
6 Mario West, G/F, 6-5, 2nd yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Hawks: Mike Woodson
INJURIES
Spurs: None.
Hawks: Horford (sprained right ankle) is questionable. Speedy Claxton (left knee chondriomalacia) is out.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Anthony Tolliver, Blake Ahearn, Ian Mahinmi.
Hawks: Claxton, Thomas Gardner, Ot o Hunter.
NOTABLE
Spurs have won 10 in a row against Hawks in San Antonio, dating to a 109-89 defeat on Feb. 15, 1997 at the Alamodome.
- Jeff McDonald
This wont be easy since the starters will be exhausted from the Mavs game.
Hill and Bowen will have a great game.
This is where Hill and Mason should come in handy...
Al Horford is my favorite Hawk
the Celtics won the 2008 playoff series, but always had a hard time beating them, and also early in this season.
I hope to see Ma$on fire & make more 3s.
That's ok, we softened them up for you. You should beat them handily.
It's probably going to be a tough game. I hope not, but it probably will. I'm just glad I get to go to the game. I just got to SA tonight from WA state & this will be the only game of the year I will be able to attend.
Atlanta (12-8) at San Antonio (12-8) Preview
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Wed Dec 10, 2008
By Laura Medina
Facing the Atlanta Hawks could be just what the San Antonio Spurs need to match their longest winning streak of the season.
The surging Spurs pursue that goal on Wednesday night as they try for their fifth straight overall victory and their 11th in a row at home over the Hawks.
San Antonio (12-8) reeled off four consecutive wins from Nov. 21-28 before that momentum was disrupted by back-to-back losses. But the Spurs rebounded behind a 17-point win over host Denver on Thursday, followed by Saturday’s 32-point rout of visiting Golden State.
The result wasn’t as decisive Tuesday night, but the Spurs secured a third straight as Bruce Bowen’s 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the second overtime put them ahead for good in a 133-126 victory at Dallas.
“The trite comment that either team could have won is absolutely true,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We’re thrilled to get it done in the end.”
All five starters finished in double figures. Tim Duncan led the way with his fourth straight double-double, totaling a season high-tying 32 points and 14 rebounds. Tony Parker added 29 points and 10 assists, while Manu Ginobili scored 18 despite shooting only 7-of-21 from the field.
The Spurs have won their last four matchups with the Hawks (12-8) by an average of 12.0 points. San Antonio is 16-3 in the series since Jan. 21, 1998 and 14-2 at home after winning 10 straight there since losing 109-89 on Feb. 15, 1997.
The Spurs, winners of six of their last eight overall at the AT&T Center, posted an 89-74 home win over the Hawks on Feb. 25 in the most recent meeting though they’ve averaged 103.6 points during the 10-game streak.
Duncan - leading the Spurs with 21.4 points - has averaged 21.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in 19 career games versus the Hawks. Ginobili has averaged 19.6 points on 57.1 percent shooting in 10 contests, while Parker picked up 23.0 per contest in last season’s two-game set against Atlanta.
Aside from struggling in San Antonio, Atlanta (12-8) has just one win in its last eight road matchups overall. It has also dropped the first two contests on this four-game trip, falling 92-84 at Houston on Tuesday night.
After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, the Hawks led 76-68 four minutes into the fourth quarter before allowing the Rockets to rally.
“It was like we went up by eight, and we got very happy - like the game was already over,” said Hawks coach Mike Woodson, whose team lost a 10th straight in Houston. “They came back and we had no answer for them.”
Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Al Horford added 14 and eight boards for the Hawks, who were held to a season low in points and shot just 39.1 percent from the field.
Against the Spurs last season, the Hawks shot 37.7 percent and averaged 78.5 points - their fewest against any opponent in 2007-08.
Johnson, leading San Antonio with 23.0 points, has averaged 22.4 in his last five games versus the Spurs.
Notes
Hawks:
With their 100-98 loss to the Mavericks Saturday night, Atlanta has now dropped their last five against Dallas. ... The Hawks shot 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) from beyond the arc on Saturday, led by G Joe Johnson's 5-for-10 3-point shooting. They entered the day leading the NBA in 3-point percentage (.404). ... Johnson led the Hawks with 32 points Saturday, his fifth 30-point game of the season. It was a significant increase from his career average against the Mavericks, which was just 16.8 points per game coming in. ... F Josh Smith registered one blocked shot on Saturday, giving him 800 for his career. Smith, who just turned 23 on Friday, became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the plateau. Shaquille O'Neal held the previous mark, having ac ulated 800 blocks at 24 years, 9 days old. Smith had already been the youngest to hit 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 career blocks, which he achieved last February.
Spurs:
The San Antonio Spurs are starting to round into form with the reunion of G Manu Ginobili, F-C Tim Duncan and G Tony Parker, two of whom were missing with ankle injuries early this season. It was the sixth win in the last eight games for the San Antonio, which started both halves of Saturday's win on fire, outscoring Golden State, 74-39, in the first and third quarters combined. ... San Antonio's reserves combined for 46 points on Saturday.
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Joe Johnson Atl 23.0
Tony Parker SA 23.0
Rebounds
Josh Smith Atl 8.2
Tim Duncan SA 10.6
Assists
Joe Johnson Atl 5.2
Tony Parker SA 6.7
Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
Atlanta 12-8 2nd Southeast / 4th East 97.9 96.8 Road 5-7 Lost 2 6-4
San Antonio 12-8 3rd Southwest / 7th West 97.0 94.1 Home 6-5 Won 3 7-3
Damn, this will be a tough game for the Spurs. Hopefully Pop can keep Tim, Tony, and Manu in the 27-30 min range, and Fab, KT, Mason, Bowen, and Hill all get major minutes to offset them. Everyone outside of the Big 3 should be relatively fresh. Hopefully Hill can play like he did when he went for double figures in like 6 straight games. I want to see a 20 pt night out of him.
Williams and Murray for the Hawks and Mason, Bowen and Hill for the Spurs are key for their teams tonight.
we're challenging another team with the same record as us. Win Spurs!
I noticed that alot of our games always start at 8:30.
this is going to be tough. i hope manu goes bonkers after a so-so performance against the mavs.
yup.
Pop resting Bonner should mean he'll be ready to go. (crossed fingers)
RED ROCKET!!!
Atlanta is one of those teams the Spurs seem to lose to quite often when they shouldn't.
Will be interesting to see who they choose to match up on Josh Smith, particularly if he gets some burn at the 3.
If we manage to win this game after last night's war, than I predict we are going to reach at least the Conference Finals this season.
Last edited by alamo50; 12-10-2008 at 09:30 AM.
this game will be televised on NBATV International
The Spurs can't play down to their compe ion.
And, ahem, Tolliver. Check out his line from last night.
36 points, 11 of 13, 5 of 6 from 3, 11 boards, 4 assists. 0 TOs. What is it that Ime can do that Tolliver can't. Same for Vaughn and Ahearn.
Bonner?
This looks like a letdown game. The Spurs are older so last night's game should affect them more than the Hawks.
I agree with all the above this will be a really tough game. These Hawks arent the birdcrap of olde. I recommend max court time for Monsiuers Mason, Hill and Bonner.
Referee Assignments
Wed. Dec. 10
Atlanta @ San Antonio: J. DeRosa, P. Fraher, C. Kirkland
Hawks continue trip in San Antonio
(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks resume a four-game road trip Wednesday in the Alamo City when they face the tired San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.
The Hawks fell to 0-2 on the trek Tuesday when Houston's Yao Ming had 24 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, as the Rockets rallied with a huge run in the fourth quarter to beat Atlanta, 92-84, at the Toyota Center.
Joe Johnson had 22 points for the Hawks, who lost for the 10th straight time in Houston. All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures with Mike Bibby netting 15, Al Horford 14, Josh Smith 13 and Marvin Williams 11. Smith also had 11 rebounds.
The Hawks, who are 5-7 on the road, will be aiming to avoid three consecutive losses in the State of Texas. Atlanta lost to Dallas, 100-98, in the opener of its trip on December 6.
The Hawks will finish their road swing in Miami on Friday.
The Spurs, meanwhile, beat the Mavericks in double overtime on Tuesday.
Tim Duncan scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, as San Antonio survived in a 133-126 win in Dallas. Tony Parker added 29 points and dished out 10 assists, as the Spurs won for the seventh time in nine games.
Manu Ginobili contributed 18 points and eight assists, while Michael Finley and Matt Bonner each had 13 points in the win, San Antonio's third straight.
The Spurs, who are 6-5 at home this season, have dominated the Hawks in recent years, winning four straight and seven of the last eight meetings between the two clubs.
San Antonio has also won 10 straight over Atlanta in the Alamo City since a 109-89 win by the Hawks on February 15, 1997.
San Antonio Spurs Team Report
The Spurs are built around Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. That's hardly breaking news.
But a good chunk of San Antonio's success this season, and ultimately in the playoffs, could be credited to guys such as Roger Mason, George Hill and Matt Bonner. Those three have earned permanent spots in coach Gregg Popovich's rotation.
"They're going to get my confidence because that's the way we'll be the best team we can be," Popovich said. "I'll have to live through some mistakes here and there, and some teaching moments, and that kind of thing.
"George Hill is our backup (point guard). Roger Mason is going to play and Matt Bonner is going to play. They'll have to play badly for 37 games in a row before I change anything."
If the first quarter of the season is any indication, that's not likely to happen. All three have filled in more than admirably. Hill and Mason, especially, stepped up when Ginobili and Parker were out.
"It's been very important for us so far," Ginobili said. "Both (Hill and Mason) are contributing a lot to the team, especially for 8-10 games when Tony and me were not on the court. We got three wins a row, maybe, because of them. They've been huge and we are all very happy with the way they are playing."
SPURS 133, MAVERICKS 126 (2 OT): Tim Duncan carried San Antonio in the second overtime in another wild shootout between the bitter rivals.
Duncan finished with 32 points, eight coming in the final OT, and 14 rebounds as the Spurs extended their winning streak to three and evened the season series with the Mavericks at 1-1. Tony Parker scored 29 and handed out 10 assists.
Six Spurs finished in double figures, while four Mavericks scored at least 19. Dirk Nowitzki paced Dallas with 35 points and 10 boards. The game featured 22 lead changes and 11 ties.
NOTES, QUOTES
—G George Hill didn't exactly light the NBA on fire in summer league. His struggles actually had the Spurs reassessing their plans at backup point guard.
"He had a tough summer league," coach Gregg Popovich admitted. "We actually had some doubts after the summer league ended with what direction to go and what we wanted to do as far as his progression was concerned.
"But once the lights went on and the real games came, he showed he can play."
Hill has been a definite bright spot for the Spurs. A spot starter and everyday contributor, Hill was averaging (10.4) going into the game with Dallas. That's all Popovich could have hoped for.
"He thought I could bring youth to them and make them better right away," Hill said of his coach. "That's what I really try to focus on when I'm out there — going hard and doing the best I can defensively first, and offense comes."
—Games in the NBA aren't usually as easy as the 35-point beating the Spurs administered against Golden State. Gregg Popovich reminded his team as much before facing Dallas.
"There's always a chance for slippage," he said. "Success breeds complacency in some ways. It's always something to guard against."
The players have heard Popovich's message.
"That's when the coaching staff comes in and earns their checks," Michael Finley said. "They're going to keep us focused, keep us humble, and let us know that our next opponent, which is Dallas, is going to give us a lot tougher game than what we got."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't know if I've seen them enough to know that. I have enough trouble trying to figure out what we're doing, let alone assess what somebody else is doing." — Gregg Popovich on the differences in the Mavericks under Rick Carlisle
ROSTER REPORT
ROTATION:
Starters — Point guard Tony Parker, Shooting guard Roger Mason, Small forward Michael Finley, Power forward Tim Duncan, Center Matt Bonner.
Bench — Forward Kurt Thomas, Guard Manu Ginobili, Forward Ime Udoka, F Bruce Bowen, Center Fabricio Oberto, Center Ian Mahinmi, Guard George Hill.
PLAYER NOTES:
—G Manu Ginobili was averaging 13.6 points in 21.7 minutes while shooting 52.6 percent in seven games going into Tuesday. Other than a couple of hiccups against Houston and Detroit, the Spurs have looked just as good.
"Hopefully we can keep this going," Ginobili said. "We just tried to move the ball. It's the things we always try to do, but sometimes it doesn't work."
—G George Hill couldn't have picked a better situation than learning from Tony Parker and Jacque Vaughn. And the rookie knows it.
"I wouldn't rather be anyplace else but here because we have two great veteran point guards to teach me," Hill said.
—F Ime Udoka said he's fully recovered from a bout with the flu that kept him in San Antonio while the team traveled to Denver. He's put in some extra conditioning work in the meantime to stay in shape.
"I feel good now," he said. "I was a little winded (Saturday) night, but I had another day of rest, so I feel good. I'm ready to go now."
Udoka played one minute against the Mavericks.
MEDICAL WATCH:
—C Ian Mahinmi (sprained left ankle) is out. He was recently recalled from a rehab assignment with the team's D-League affiliate in Austin.
Atlanta Hawks vs. San Antonio Spurs Odds and Matchup
by D.S. Williamson
Just when a lot of sports betting fans thought it was safe to put the proverbial fork into the San Antonio Spurs, the Spurs start winning games. At this point in the season, and it’s still extremely early, the Spurs are 12 and 8. That’s four games above .500. It’s not a fantastic record, but it’s good enough for this online NBA betting fan to say that the Spurs are back. They are going to be tough to beat from here on out as long as they stay healthy.
Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Michael Finley are all starting again. That spells doom for most of the other teams in the Western Conference. Against the BetUS online betting spread, the Spurs are 11 and 9 overall and 6 and 5 at home. Most of their against the spread wins have occurred since Manu and Tony got back into the line-up.
The Atlanta Hawks were incredibly hot in the first month of the season. They’ve tailed off some, but they are still a viable playoff contender in the weak Eastern Conference. They probably don’t have much of a chance against the Boston Celtics in the end but they could very well be a strong against the spread team for the entire season. So far the Hawks have gone 10 and 10 against the BetUS online wagering spread. Their record against the spread on the road is a winning one at 7 and 5.
Here are the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds for this game:
Atlanta Hawks + 6 ½ - 110 + 240 O 188 ½ - 110
San Antonio Spurs - 6 ½ - 110 - 290 U 188 ½ - 110
Here are a few online wagering trends that might help us find a good online bet:
The Atlanta Hawks are 2 and 6 against the spread in their last 8 games following an against the spread loss.
The Under is 4-1-1 in the Atlanta Hawks last 6 games overall.
The San Antonio Spurs are 7 and 2 against the spread in their last 9 games overall.
The Under is 12 and 3 in the San Antonio Spurs last 15 games at home.
The Spurs should easily cover the 6 ½ point spread on paper but NBA games aren’t played on paper. The Atlanta Hawks have a very good record on the road against the BetUS online betting spread. Because of that, I’m sort of hesitant to put too much money on the Spurs to cover.
Instead, I believe that there is a flaw in the BetUS Total that could be exploited. Both the Spurs and Hawks are defensive minded teams. Both teams can run but the Spurs in particular are very adepts at shutting off the flood gates - - that means they can keep the Hawks from sprinting down the court for easy lay-ups.
That, of course, is the only way that both of these teams hit the number of 188 ½. The Hawks would need to play an excellent up and down game to approach to the total. Both the Spurs and Hawks would need to score 94 points for that to happen. I don’t see the Hawks getting past 88 or the Spurs getting past 96 and that’s asking a lot.
I’m going under in this game.
Tonight should be an easier W than last night. We really should have won last night in regulation. As stated before, Hill and Mason will come in handy tonight.
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