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nice, missed the game but its nice to always have a great summary to read. thanks again!
On the first night of a rare home and home back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs dispatched of the Sacramento Kings in relatively easy fashion. The Spurs led by 11 points after the end of the first quarter and never looked back – winning by a final score of 101-85.
A Roger Mason, Jr. three-pointer halfway through the first quarter put the Spurs up by two points and the Kings never regained the lead. The closest the Kings got in the second half was 11 points when they cut the Spurs lead to 65-54 in the third period. Michael Finley scored five straight points to push the lead back up and essentially end the contest.
Even though the Kings were never much of a threat, they actually played hard for most of the game. Their defense picked up in the second half but unforced turnovers and missed open shots doomed their comeback chances.
As for the Spurs, this was an easy yet important victory. They have a lot of games coming up and they need a few easy wins to help survive the stretch. The Spurs not only needed to win this game, they needed to easily win this game – and they did just that.
Tim Duncan
26 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals
3-for-5 from the field, 4-for-6 at the line
Tim Duncan wasn’t asked to do much against the Kings. In fact, Duncan didn’t even attempt a shot in the first quarter. He wasn’t very active on either end of the court but he helped out by making good passes and protecting the rim. When he did look for his own offense, he made a couple of impressive shots. Although he set season-lows in both points and rebounds, the extra rest will come in handy over the next week.
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Manu Ginobili
24 minutes, ten points, five rebounds, three assists
4-for-9 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers, 2-for-3 at the line
Manu Ginobili had a good all-around performance. He once again rebounded well for the fourth consecutive game. In that time span, he’s averaging 7.3 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game. Against the Kings, Ginobili had three assists compared to only one turnover. It was the first time in five games that Ginobili had less than two turnovers. Ginobili also did a good job of taking it to the rim and not relying so much on his outside shot. On defense he was active and pressured the ball nicely in one-on-one situations.
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Tony Parker
28 minutes, 18 points, six assists, six turnovers
8-for-17 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Tony Parker had an up-and-down outing. He struggled with turnovers in the first quarter, racking up five of his six turnovers in the opening stanza. Once he re-entered the game in the second quarter he played a lot better. Of the final six baskets of the first half, Parker either scored or assisted on five of them. Though he missed a handful of easy shots throughout the game, his aggressiveness opened up space for others to get open shots. Defensively, Parker played hard and made it difficult for the Kings to run their offense.
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Michael Finley
19 minutes, nine points, five rebounds
4-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
In his 19 minutes of play, Michael Finley actually played quite well. He was hitting his shots on one end and giving great effort on defense on the other end. Rebounding was another bright spot for Finley, as was his demonstrative leadership in the huddles during timeouts. After going through a slump, Finley is back to playing well on both sides of the court.
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Matt Bonner
30 minutes, nine points, six rebounds, three assists
3-for-7 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner didn’t have a great shooting night but he was effective. Defensively, Bonner used his strength to keep the many active bigs on Sacramento out of the lane. He also rebounded decently after having two straight poor games on the boards. On offense, perhaps his best quality on the night was his passing. He’s not a naturally good passer but he’s beginning to figure out the offense and where the passes need to go. Bonner now has four straight games with at least two assists.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
18 minutes, 11 points
4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. seems to be finding his niche again. He was aggressive with his shot early and helped the Spurs jump out to a 33-point first quarter. In his last five games, Mason is averaging 11.2 points in 25.6 minutes per game, while shooting 53.8% from the field and 56.5% from beyond the three-point arc. Against the Kings, his defense was decent but he finished the game without an assist or a rebound.
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Kurt Thomas
22 minutes, four points, seven rebounds
2-for-4 from the field
Kurt Thomas had another noteworthy performance, especially on the glass. He led the Spurs in rebounding for the second straight game and now has 19 boards in his last 47 minutes. His defense on the low block was very solid and his help defense was almost always right on time. Thomas moved well offensively and hit two of his four field goal attempts. Overall, the 36-year-old bigman looks like a totally different player than the one we witnessed earlier in the season.
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Bruce Bowen
21 minutes, five points, three rebounds
2-for-4 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
When John Salmons started to heat up, Bruce Bowen did a good job of cooling him off. His ball denial on defense was extremely impressive, especially in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Bowen went 1-of-2 from both two-point range and three-point range. After going through a stretch in which his offensive production literally disappeared, Bowen has now hit 6-of-11 shots over the last four games including 4-of-8 from downtown.
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George Hill
20 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, two assists
3-for-6 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
After going 2-for-9 from the field in his last three games, George Hill bounced back with a much better offensive showing. He scored ten points, hitting half of his six attempts from the floor. It was the first time Hill scored in double figures since he scored ten points on Dec. 6 against the Warriors. On the defensive end of the court, he had an off night against the Kings. His gambles weren’t paying off and he was a step slow on rotations.
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Anthony Tolliver
18 minutes, seven points, six rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 1-for-2 at the line
Anthony Tolliver finally shot well from three-point territory and that helped him have a very fine game. On both sides of the court, Tolliver was active and playing hard. His defense was good and his rebounding was even better. He ran the court well and showed off his deceptively good passing skills. If Tolliver can play this well when called upon, he could have a role on the team as the fifth bigman. His stint in Austin seems to have done him well and he looks to be in better shape.
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Ime Udoka
nine minutes, eight points
2-for-2 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
On the same day the Spurs signed swingman Malik Hairston, Ime Udoka had one of his better performances of the season. Although I’m sure it was a coincidence, it was definitely good timing. Offensively, Udoka was under control and playing with a purpose. His defense was also good and he looked to be relaxed on the court for the first time in a long while.
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Gregg Popovich
Pop’s main goal was to win the game while allowing his main players to rest. With that goal accomplished, Pop has to be happy with how the contest played out. No one played more than 30 minutes and Pop was able to give everyone some playing time. I like how he continues to give Tolliver a chance to sink or swim and I also like that he appears to be getting comfortable with the idea of playing Bonner extended minutes.
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Offense
Outside of the third quarter, the offense was clicking very nicely for San Antonio. On the game, they shot 52.1% from the floor, hit 7-of-15 three-pointers and got to the line 24 times – all very solid marks. After having seven turnovers in the first quarter, the Spurs had only eight turnovers the rest of the game. The 22 assists were also a better than average showing.
Defense
The Spurs clamped down defensively for the first time in a few weeks. They held the Kings to 39.7% from the field and only 5-of-15 from three-point land. The only reason the Kings scored as much as they did was a combination of 22 free throw attempts and their 15 fast break points off of their 14 steals. The Spurs also deserve credit for helping the Kings ac ulate 16 turnovers and only posting 16 assists. Rebounding-wise, the Spurs won that battle 42-38.
Drive to Five
Although this was a good start to their back-to-back set, the Spurs need to finish it off with a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Minnesota has lost 12 consecutive games and hopefully the Spurs can help the T’Wolves extend that streak.
Believe.
nice, missed the game but its nice to always have a great summary to read. thanks again!
great recap! no one disappointed me tonight except parker with his to's, but he was still good.
Tomorrow will be more difficult.
Great job by Pop in regulating the minutes. It was really good to see none of the big three play 30 min.
It is also good to see that Tolliver seems to have benefitted from his time in the D-League. He was all over the glass, tipping out balls and rebounding. He actually managed to knock down a few shots too.
I have been pretty concerned about our front line but if KT and Tolliver continue to play well I think we will be ok. KT is head and shoulders above where he was earlier in the year and I see no reason to bring in anymore big men if he keeps it up. If Tolliver can start hitting at least a couple of those open looks consistently he will be fine for the energy PF role we have been seeking for so long.
nice read
loved reading this as always
Thanks again as usual for these recap.
Great read
I liked what I saw from Tolliver yesterday, a lot of energy and he made shots.
I'd like to see Malik in the game today. Put JV behind the bench
Did I miss the part where Fabricio got hurt? Where was he last night?
No it wasn't. Pop said he was hurting last week but he didn't told anybody.
It his foot
Nice recap!
I'm glad Thomas' game is coming around.
I hope that we can have a Michael Finley for the playoffs this year that's entering a hot streak rather than one of his slumps. He's like two different players when his shots aren't falling. He gives up on both sides of the ball it seems when he's on a cold streak. He can look very good or very bad depending on his mood.
Sore foot. He's missed like 3 games because of it. I can't wait till he's back, cuz as awesome as Toll did last night, he's still a Bonner clone. It is a blessing for KT though, he's really proving to all the haters, myself included, that he still has it. And the Spurs don't need a clone of a decent player already playing AND starting. On a side note, it's nice to see Bonner get serious minutes, even in blowouts. Hope that means Pop recognizes Bonner is always energized, so he should use him like crazy.
I'm very excited about Thomas' play as of late. I have always liked Tolliver's hustle. I don't think it would be smart to let him go because he has great energy off the bench.
Great recap, as always.
Really impressed with Tolliver
I am not sold on Tolliver yet. If he can show consistency for a month, then I will be sold.
Thanks for the great recap. Missed the game last night.
Great thoughts timvp. I know it sounds like a broken record, but I really appreciate the time and effort you put into these for us. They have become a necessary part of the season for me, I look forward to them and the depth you provide helps me get so much more out of the games. I don't have to re-watch them anymore unless I want to. You cover things I may have missed in the live action. Thank you.
I don't know about you, but I'd take a Duncan clone in a heartbeat.
I said decent, not legendary.
I love this injection of youth in the Spurs rotation this season: Mason,Hill,Tolliver,Bonner.
Last year it was pretty obvious we needed some fresh legs to hustle for rebounds and make hustle defensive plays, now with these new younger players it looks like we have enough youth to get past the Lakers this year IF we can stay healthy.
Tolliver is not really a rotation player. He played the last few games with both Fabs and Ian out. But if either one of those guys is healthy I doubt he sees the court.
I used to think the same thing...but not so much now. They certianly have similarites as far as playing style goes, but there are pretty big differences between the two players themselves.
The big things that stick out for me are passing and rebounding. From what I have seen from the Summer League all the way through now Tolliver is pretty naturally good at both. He times his jumps well and if he doesn't get the board he usually winds up buying us an extra possession with a tap out. Bonner is pretty good at this too, but he has had to work hard at it...while Tolliver, being 5 years younger and much less experienced, is already on his level.
From a passing standpoint...its really not close. Tolliver is a gifted passer. We has seen several instances this season where he has come up with some point guard level assists. Bonner is not a bad passer...but just like his rebounding it is a skill that he has had to work at and his ability comes more from a knowledge of the system instead natural ability. With Tolliver's continued development in the system he could become incredibly valuable in this area.
Speed is also a difference. They both hustle but Tolliver is much faster and can close out on his man better. He is a above average man defender, and I think that as he continues to develop in this area he will be able to stay in front of quicker bigs. Bonner will always struggle with this because he is built more like a rugged center...even though he plays like an energy big.
Bonner is the starter and it should stay that way because the first unit better utilizes his abilities. He is the better shooter and knows the system better. What we need from Tolliver is about what we got last night. He needs to take about 4 or 5 shots a game and make at least 2 or 3 of them...and keep providing the things I mentioned above. If he does that he is giving more than enough to stay in the rotation as the 5th big.
Last edited by benefactor; 12-23-2008 at 02:23 PM.
I concur.
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