Coming off of a depressing loss in Los Angeles against the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs were looking to right their ship against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Entering the fourth quarter with the score tied at 80, the Spurs ratcheted up their defense, came up with a few big offensive plays and then hit their free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
The most important basket of the night came with about a minute left in the fourth when the Jazz had cut the Spurs’ lead to one point. Tim Duncan had the ball, felt the extra attention and then passed it off to Manu Ginobili who hit an acrobatic reverse layup. Ginobili and Roger Mason, Jr. then went 10-for-10 at the line in the final 44 seconds.
The Jazz, who were playing without both Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko, put up a very good fight. Ronnie Brewer utilized his supreme athleticism to make life difficult for the Spurs’ perimeter defenders, while Deron Williams did a fine job running the show.
After the loss against the Lakers, this was a very impressive and very important bounce back win. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the Spurs came out angry and worked hard to get back into the win column. The defense was shaky, especially in the first three quarters, but buckling down in the final stanza on the road against a quality home team is definitely a character-building win.
Tim Duncan
37 minutes, 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, two steals, three turnovers
10-for-16 from the field, 4-for-10 from the line
Tim Duncan played a really good all-around game. On the defensive end, he showed up and was active for most of the night. Even when he got into foul trouble he still did a better than average job of protecting the rim. While the Spurs weren’t very good defensively for a lot of the game, this time it wasn’t his fault. On offense, Duncan was fantastic. He attacked the basket throughout and even threw down a pair of vintage dunks. When Duncan wasn’t scoring on his own, he was handing out eight assists. All in all, it’d be tough to ask for much more from the franchise player.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
29 minutes, 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals, six turnovers
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 11-for-12 at the line
If you look at Manu Ginobili’s line and see his 1-for-5 shooting and his six turnovers, you’d probably assume that Ginobili had a woeful evening. In reality, he actually played well for a majority of his 29 minutes. I thought he did a great job of letting the game come to him and not forcing the issue. He recognized that the Jazz were blitzing pick-and-rolls and collapsing on him when he got into the lane and his five assists illustrate how he was able to find the open shooters. Defensively, Ginobili played hard and made a number of plays, especially down the stretch. For the second straight game, his rebounding was also a bright spot. Of his six turnovers, they were almost all of the aggressive variety instead of him trying to do too much and his shooting from the field was made up by his clutch free throw shooting. Overall, Ginobili can play better but he definitely helped out.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
39 minutes, 24 points, six assists
9-for-18 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 4-for-6 at the line
Tony Parker recovered from a slow shooting start to post a quality outing. After making only two of his first seven attempts from the field, Parker then hit seven of his next nine shots from the floor. He also made a number of good passes and limited his turnovers. Defensively, he struggled early on keeping Williams out of the paint but got better and better in that regard as the game progressed. Although Parker was quiet at the end of the contest, the Spurs wouldn’t have been in it if he didn’t carry the team for long stretches in the first 40 minutes of the affair.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
36 minutes, 13 points, three rebounds, three assists
4-for-7 from the field, 3-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Having struggled in his last five games, it was good to see Roger Mason, Jr. get back on track. He appeared smooth and confident in himself on the offensive end for the first time in a while. On defense, Mason still has a lot to learn but he made a few good rotations on that end. This was Mason’s first time hitting at least half of his shots since the home win against the Lakers.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
24 minutes
0-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Did Michael Finley catch the flight to Salt Lake City? He was virtually invisible on the floor in his 24 minutes of action. His only marks on the scorecard were his four missed shots and his one assist. On the defensive end, Finley might have been even worse. His one-on-one defense was deplorable. At times, he looked like that old guy at the gym who should have retired his sneakers a few years ago.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
32 minutes, 20 points, five rebounds, two steals
7-for-10 from the field, 6-for-7 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner put his poor shooting performance against the Lakers behind him and responded with his best shooting performance of the season on Tuesday night. He scored a season-high 20 points and connected on his first six three-pointers. It was a very good sign that he fired without hesitation and didn’t look depressed about the Lakers game. On defense, he was about average, although it would have been nice if he helped out more on the boards.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
Nine minutes, four points
2-for-3 from the field
In the first three quarters, Bruce Bowen didn’t get off the bench. To start the fourth quarter, Pop put Bowen into the game. Good call. Bowen responded with a great defensive stretch that saw him single-handedly throw Mehmet Okur out of rhythm. Okur entered the fourth with 19 points but Bowen helped hold him scoreless in the final period before Duncan fouled him with less than 30 seconds to go in the ballgame. Bowen also chipped in on the offensive end, scoring the first four points for the Spurs in the fourth. Although he only ended up playing nine minutes, Bowen was a very big part of the win against the Jazz.
-------------------------------
George Hill
Nine minutes, four points, four rebounds
2-for-4 from the field
George Hill had a very good showing, especially considering he only played nine minutes and was playing in one of the most hostile environments in the NBA. Offensively, he was aggressive and did a very good job of attacking the basket. When pressed, he showed off his stellar ball handling and court awareness. On the other end, Hill’s defense was also very good. He harassed his man, contested shots and then crashed the boards. All in all, the Spurs got a notable boost from their backup point guard.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
Nine minutes, one rebound, one block
0-for-2 from the field
Kurt Thomas wasn’t much of a help against Utah. He wasn’t moving his feet too well on the defensive end, which resulted in the Spurs giving up a number of easy layups on his watch. Thomas also wasn’t pulling down the boards he needed to corral. Offensively, Thomas’ jumper looked hurried both times he shot. He helped out in the physicality department but not in many other departments on this night.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
Nine minutes
0-for-1 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Ime Udoka played some key minutes in the rotation and mostly underwhelmed again. His lone shot attempt on offense was a three-pointer that missed the rim by a few feet. Udoka had a few good possessions defensively and banged well but he failed to pull down a rebound in his nine minutes of work. Overall, I thought his defense was better than we’ve seen on most nights but Udoka remains a long ways away from being a dependable reserve option.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
Seven minutes, four points, two rebounds
2-for-2 from the field
When Duncan got in foul trouble, Fabricio Oberto subbed in and gave a few decent minutes. I liked his aggressiveness on the boards and he also moved very well without the ball to get into spots where he could be effective on the offensive end. Slowly but surely, Oberto appears to be improving. If he can get back into his 2007 playoff form, San Antonio’s bigman depth could suddenly appear to be adequate.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
A number of the players had bounce back performances and Pop himself had a bounce back performance. The buttons he pushed against the Jazz worked and he had a definite hand in this victory. Putting Bowen on Okur turned out to be a brilliant move. He also mixed up the playcalling quite nicely – calling plays for not only the Big Three but also for Mason and Bonner. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that Bowen should have played more and Hill might have been helpful at shooting guard to help negate some of Utah’s athletic advantage.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was consistently humming for most of the night. In each of the four quarters, the Spurs scored at least 25 points. For the game, they shot 51.4% from the floor, knocked down 11-of-20 three-pointers, got to the free throw line 32 times and handed out 24 assists. The 13 turnovers were an acceptable amount in this relatively fast paced contest.
Defense
The defense was hard to watch for much of the first three quarters. While the Jazz deserve credit for playing well, the Spurs also helped out by giving up an inordinate number of open shots. In the fourth, the Spurs picked up their defensive intensity and held the Jazz to 7-of-22 shooting. Overall, the Jazz shot 48.1% from the floor, got to the line 25 times, racked up 23 assists and out-rebounded the Spurs 46-35. The Jazz hit only 6-of-17 three-pointers, however a number of those misses were open looks.
Drive to Five
The Spurs will look to end this three-game road trip on a good note Thursday night in Phoenix. The fans will be into it and the Suns will want revenge from their Christmas Day loss. Hopefully the Spurs can do what they do best and ruin Phoenix’s hopes once again.
Believe.
fwiw, Finley was a +12 in the stat box.....
That third quarter was horrible on the defensive side and I agree that Bowen should have played more/early......especially with the way Fin was playing.
Plain and simple, the difference in the ball game was the Spurs connecting from downtown.
That's the power of playing almost all your minutes with Duncan on the court.
Couldn't watch the game so thanks for the recap. I really like how Bowen came in and made an immediate impact guarding Okur. His versatility is amazing. Pop should keep limiting his minutes to keep him fresh for occasions just like this.
Good god Pop, it's halfway through the season, you can start playing Bowen more now, especially when Finley isn't hitting. i wish if Fin missed his first 3 shots, Pop would just give Bowen time, and see if he could stagnate the offense any worse. If not, then relegate Fin to spot minutes, which is all he should have.
thx, very informative recap, as usual.
one thought of mine: correct me if I'm wrong, but I guess this was the first win this season, when the Spurs were outrebounded by more than 10.
usually such games are almost impossible to win, especially when combined with sub par FT shooting.
it was really Bonners miraculous shooting night that saved this win. 20 points out of 10 FG attempts, this clearly was the x-factor.
nonetheless, I would feel much better, if we add a boardcleaner.
(call me crazy, but every once in a while I look to the Sixers stats and think by myself, that Evans for sure would be available. I know, I know, he has no game. but I still remember that what he delivered in Seattle was quite an integral part of the success of the overachieving Sonics team in 2005)
If the Spurs continue to play the defense they showed in the first three quarters tonight, they're out in round 2 at best. It was night and day when comparing the D w/o Bruce to it with him. I hope what we're seeing is just Pop keeping Bruce fresh for one last playoff run, because the team is going to desperately need him to play at a high level for 30 minutes a game in the playoffs to have anything more than a puncher's chance at a le.
timvp, seriously, drop a resume to the Express News. Your writing kills anything Monroe, McDonald, or Harvey have to offer.
thanks timvp. nice win for the spurs. up next- the suns.
I second this notion.
Thanks for the recap. Manu must have made an impact on the game. And yes timvp your recaps are the best. Get a place in a newspaper or something.
Thanks Timvp. Missed last nights game. And Ive learned before reading anything, to read your post first. Not that I always agree. But you tell it like it is, with complete respect. I knew we would beat the Jazz. They're playing without 2 starters. Had we lost, Id been a bit disappointed. Even in Utah where its hard to win anytime.
No Boozer, No Kirilenko, still a close game. It means we suck.
Thats the one of the hardest things todo. Get yourself in a Newspaper here in SA. Once you get a job here in SA reporting Sports you dont move. A very good friend of mine(Barry Robinson) who use to run the show since way back in the hemisphere days for the San Antonio Light then the Express News told me not to get into his line of work. Unless I planned on moving. His wife whom I went to school with(and lived pretty much everyday in her house cos of her brother) loved being a news media person. She always had a camera and all her courses were media type. But since she couldnt get into their lineup, she did the next best thing. Married him. Ask anyone how long Buck has been around. Whats funny is Barry wasnt even from here. He's from Seguin. There just isnt enough room for writers in San Antonio. Because there are not enough Professional Teams around. And the guys already writing, they're not moving until they're ready. I sure did love those courtside tickets back then when he couldnt goto the games. Barrys Xmas presents were alway the best. Now he comes to me for presents/pictures..........Life is good
The Spurs need to quit relying on their outside shooting. That was a good game. A good win. However, they are not attacking the basket enough. I am tired of Parker going behind the screen and shooting that 15-18 footer. He needs to drive to the hoop more. That is what makes Parker special. Same with Manu.
Huge props to Bonner. Dude was hot.
Does this makes the second straight game Manu has tied TD for boards?
I guess someone has to pickup the slack.
The rebounding has been a problem for the Spurs all season long. There were times that Hill had less minutes than Fab, Thomas, and Bonner and he had more rebounds than they did.
Key moment of the game. 1:11 remaining and the Spurs lead by 1, 94-93. Tim is mid-post defended by Okur. Ronnie Brewer is defending Manu on opposite wing. Manu sees Brewer sag to the elbow, sneeking a peek back at Duncan. Manu immediately slices through the lane. Timmy rifles an over-the-shoulder pass to Ginobili drawing Millsap and D-Williams to him on the catch. Manu turns his body to protect the ball from being blocked and with his head actually under the glass, spins in the lefty twister. The only thing missing was the blindfold. In fast motion, it was great, but if watched in slow motion, it makes one wonder where this player had been the previous 47 minutes.
More Bowen and less Finley and the Spurs will be in much better shape. Interesting how the Spurs defense suddenly becomes so much worse during the season in which Pop is trying to cut Bowen's minutes. While I know our post defense is largely to blame, I also know that when a teammate is out there playing lockdown defense like Bowen does, that his intensity is contagious for the other guys on the court.
Until we can find a young, energetic Finley replacement, we need Bowen's defensive consistency on the wing. On a night like last night when Finley brings nothing in 24 minutes, at least giving those minutes to Bowen would give the Spurs something more on the defensive end.
Yeah, that Ronnie Brewer Fly-By on Finley to tie the score at the end of the 3rd quarter was awful. Looked like Fin was up on cinder blocks.
Agree I couldn't watch the game yesterday and here I knew what happened. Great recap.
I hope Bruce can start in place of Finley soon
Absolutely! I miss the days in '99 when you knew that it was one and done for the opposition because they weren't going to get the rebound on a missed shot. TD, DRob, Kersey et all that boxed out and wouldn't let the opposition get offensive boards. Come playoff time rebounding will be critical. Maybe/hopefully CIA Pop has something working to get a big body that actually rebounds. Second chance points really hurt unless they are ours.
I'm not sure I understand Pop's man-love for Finley. He blows soooo many defensive assignments, he goes about 4-5-6 games shooting the ball badly and having no net affect on the team, yet he seems to be the man every season who gets consistent minutes. Pop's trying to rest Bowen for the playoffs presumably...well why not Finley as well? Finley looked worned down last season by the team the Lakers series came around.
It is very clear now. The Spurs are #2 in the West. The Lakers are #1. If the spurs don't come up with some changes to the lineup, last year is very likely to repeat itself regardless of how well the current lineup plays. I was also put off by Holt's comment implying that getting to playoffs is great. Well, it is not great enough for me.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
