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If you guys lose to us....
Please beat us I just want John Wall next year.
San Antonio (31-22) at Detroit (19-35)
Game info: 6:00 pm EST Sun Feb 21, 2010
TV: FSSW, FSD
By Jeff Mezydlo
With the exception of their last stop, the San Antonio Spurs have played well on their longest road stretch of the season.
The Spurs look to conclude that stretch on a positive note with a third consecutive victory over the lowly Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Trying for a third straight win overall, San Antonio (31-22) fell short of that feat, losing 106-94 at Philadelphia on Friday.
Despite the defeat, the Spurs are 4-3 on their eight-game road swing that has kept them away from home so far in February. San Antonio, 12-12 on the road this season, hosts Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Before that, however, the Spurs look to hand Detroit (19-35) a third straight loss. San Antonio, which has won two of its last three trips to The Palace of Auburn Hills, beat the Pistons 112-92 at home Jan. 6.
Tony Parker had 23 points with six assists in that contest for the Spurs, but was held to two points on 1 of 9 shooting against the 76ers. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich believes Parker, who had 28 points in Wednesday’s win at Indiana, is still bothered by foot, ankle and hip injures that contributed to him missing four of the last nine games.
“He’s got some problems,” said Popovich, whose team was outscored 33-18 in the fourth quarter Friday.
Parker’s teammate Tim Duncan is healthy, but has combined for 18 points in his last two contests. Duncan, though, is averaging 19.8 points and 11.7 rebounds in his last four road games against the Pistons. He had 18 with 18 boards in the Spurs’ 83-79 win in their last visit to Detroit on Feb. 19, 2009.
While Parker and Duncan look to get back on track, Manu Ginobili has played well for the Spurs of late. He had 24 points Friday and is averaging 19.5 on 27 of 54 shooting in his last four contests. Ginobili scored 16 points against Detroit earlier this season.
The Pistons look to bounce back from a 91-85 home loss to Milwaukee on Friday. Detroit has lost seven of nine at home and likely won’t have an easy time improving on that stretch against the Spurs. The Pistons have been held to 81.3 points on 40.7 percent shooting in their last three meetings with San Antonio at The Palace.
Richard Hamilton scored 29 points Friday, but the Pistons went 1 of 6 from 3-point range despite shooting 48.5 percent from the field against the Bucks.
“If it presents itself, that’s fine,” coach John Kuester told the Pistons’ official Web site after his team’s gone 4 of 15 from beyond the arc in the last two games. “We’re not hunting the threes. That’s not an issue. What we’re trying to do is get good shots and execute. I think that’s the important thing.”
Hamilton, who scored a season-high 36 points in a loss at Orlando on Wednesday, had 29 in last month’s loss to the Spurs.
*********************
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tim Duncan SA 18.9
Richard Hamilton Det 18.5
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 11.0
Ben Wallace Det 9.0
Assists
Tony Parker SA 5.9
Rodney Stuckey Det 4.9
If you guys lose to us....
Please beat us I just want John Wall next year.
I remember a happy time not so long ago when the big concern was just getting Manu healthy.
easy win
You're not getting John Wall lol, you know you're going to be Rodney Stuckey all the way at PG for a while.If you guys lose to us....
Please beat us I just want John Wall next year.
Sunday: Spurs (31-22) at Pistons (19-35)
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - PISTONS
PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 9th yr) - 3 Rodney Stuckey (6-5, 3rd yr)
Battling bad hip and coming off two-point game, Parker may be due rest.
SG - 3 George Hill (6-2, 2nd yr) - 32 Richard Hamilton (6-7, 11th yr)
Rip leads team in scoring (18.1 ppg); has played less than half the games.
SF - 10 Keith Bogans (6-4, 7th yr) - 22 Tayshaun Prince (6-9, 8th yr)
Pop likes Bogans' defensive edge, but he's shot 2 for 6 in past two games.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 33 Jonas Jerebko (6-10, 1st yr)
Do Duncan's two poor offensive games portend another post-All-Star dip?
C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 6 Ben Wallace (6-9, 14th yr)
Bonner 2 of 7 with five points over two games since return to starting five.
SPURS RESERVES
45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
4 Michael Finley, G/F, 6-7, 15th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
24 Richard Jefferson, F, 6-7, 9th yr
28 Ian Mahinmi, C, 6-11, 2nd yr
8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 6th yr
34 A. McDyess, G, 6-10, 14th yr
PISTONS RESERVES
38 Kwame Brown, C, 6-11, 9th yr
12 Will Bynum, G, 6-0, 3rd yr
5 Austin Daye, F, 6-10, 1st yr
7 Ben Gordon, G, 6-3, 6th yr
54 Jason Maxiell, G, 6-7, 5th yr
31 C. Villanueva, C/F, 6-11, 5th yr
9 Chris Wilcox, C/F, 6-10, 8th yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Pistons: John Kuester
INJURIES
Spurs: Tony Parker (left hip flexor strain) is day-to-day.
Pistons: None.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Malik Hairston
Pistons: Chucky Atkins, DaJuan Summers
NOTABLE
After disappointing loss at Philadelphia on Friday, Spurs complete latest rodeo trip with visit to Detroit. With victory, Spurs would finish this year's trip 5-3, the same as last season. ... Pistons are struggling through toughest season in more than a decade, mostly due to 13-game losing streak spanning December and January. ... Spurs beat Pistons 112-92 during that skid at the AT&T Center.
- Jeff McDonald
Just ing win...
bet the pistons first quarter at least.
The match-ups of Hill to Hamilton and Bogans to Prince are not encouraging. Bonner to Wallace, not any better. With TP probably out, we are going to need Dice at least to produce a salvageable 1st half. While I'm sure TD and Manu alone will play with all they've got, without an outstanding performance by RJ we are going to be in trouble. Please let's hope Pop `tinkers' once more with the starting lineup.
Spurs will be really ing pathetic if they lose to the Pistons.
They better come out ready after that loss to Philly.
Referee Assignments
Sun. Feb 21
San Antonio @ Detroit: Marc Davis; Bennie Adams; Eric Dalen
This Spurs team should just go out and play and have fun. I think that much of these guys have put too much pressure on themselves since the acquisition of RJ and Dice. Rarely, do you ever see them enjoying themselves (only one being Blair) out on the floor. I think they are more concerned about winning and playing well that they have forgotten about enjoying the game. Maybe if they did that they wouldn't be so uptight and start winning a few games.
Spurs conclude Rodeo Trip at Detroit
The San Antonio Spurs will close out their Rodeo Road Trip this evening with a bout against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
San Antonio is 4-3 so far on the eight-city excursion and suffered an embarrassing 106-94 loss to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at the Wachovia Center. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 24 points and George Hill added 18 in the loss.
"The Sixers did a great job of bringing their athleticism and pressure in the second half and we folded. That was the ball game," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said.
Tim Duncan had 10 points and nine rebounds for San Antonio, which was outscored by a 33-18 clip in the fourth quarter. Duncan also handed out the 3,000th assist of his career and joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar as the only players in NBA history who have amassed totals of 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 2,000 blocks and 3,000 assists.
San Antonio is 12-12 away from the Alamo City this season and sits 2 1/2 games behind Dallas for the Southwest lead. It is currently seventh in the West and may not have guard Tony Parker in the lineup Sunday. Parker is questionable because of a strained right hip flexor.
Detroit has lost two straight and three of four games, including Friday's 91-85 setback versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Richard Hamilton had 29 points and Tayshaun Prince finished with 12 points, eight boards and seven assists for the Pistons, whose bench was outscored 53-16. Prince is averaging 15.4 points in his last five games.
"Statistically you'd say we won the game," said Detroit head coach John Kuester. "But they were the ones who made the plays tonight and they were the ones who won the game."
Rodney Stuckey tallied 13 points and five assists in defeat.
The Pistons are 13-16 at home and eight games off the pace for a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.
San Antonio defeated Detroit by a 112-92 count back on January 6 at the AT&T Center thanks to Parker's 23 points and six assists. These two teams have split the past 12 matchups.
How long will we have to endure that starting 5. On one hand, I'm hoping we get ing crushed. Anything to wake Pop up.
The only change I would make...Spurs - DNP-CD
I don't have any expectations anymore. I'll enjoy a win when we can get them
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