Spurs at Jazz Previews

[TDMVPDPOY]

SPURS ARE -2.5 2.05/1 ...umm thinkn putting 140 on it....

[JustinJDW]

This game is going to have some great matchups!

Tony Parker vs. Deron Williams
Richard Jefferson vs. Andrei Kirilenko
Tim Duncan vs. Carlos Boozer
Matt Bonner vs. Mehmet Okur (Both outside shooting big man)

Go Spurs Go!

[duncan228]

Jazz notes: NBA's Batman comes to Utah
By Steve Luhm
The Salt Lake Tribune

Batman visited EnergySolutions Arena on Thursday night.

Last weekend, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili swatted a bat out of the air during the Spurs-Kings game at the AT&T Center.

Video of the incident has become a world-wide hit on the Internet.

The bat delayed the game for a second time by swooping across the floor when Ginobili slapped it, picked it up and handed it to arena worker for disposal.

After the Jazz's shootaround Thursday morning, Carlos Boozer was asked about the bat attack.

"I saw it on ESPN," he said. "It was pretty impressive [because] he just smacked it [after] they chased it for five or 10 minutes."

Did Boozer plan to shake Ginobili's hand before the game?

"If he doesn't have rabies," he said, "I'll shake his hand."

For the record, PETA criticized Ginobili for his actions and has undergone a series of rabies shots. The Spurs have also reminded their players that, in the future, bat removal should be left to the experts.

In addition, the Freetail Brewing Company in San Antonio has announced every time the Spurs win and Ginobili does not do battle with a bat, its patrons will receive a free beer. The restaurant will also donate $1 to Bat Conservation International.

Fessing up

Before facing San Antonio, Kyrylo Fesenko averaged five points and 1.5 rebounds in 11 minutes. He was the second-highest scoring non-starter behind Paul Millsap through the Jazz's first four games.

Because the Spurs can use a small frontcourt that includes perimeter-oriented Matt Bonner , coach Jerry Sloan didn't commit to playing Fesenko.

"I wouldn't want to put him on the kid that shoots three-point shots for them," Sloan said. "That wouldn't be a fair match-up, if they go to a small lineup."

On the other hand, Sloan said, "Hopefully we get him in the game" because Fesenko has earned the chance to play.

"Two months ago, we didn't know if we'd be able to get him in a game or not," Sloan said. "But he's made some progress and had some success here and there. ...

"We'll look for places to try and play him a little more, so he can gain some more confidence and hopefully get better."