Spurs At Bulls Previews

[duncan228]

Saturday: Spurs (25-13) at Bulls (18-22)
Express-News

Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: KENS
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - BULLS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 1 Derrick Rose (6-3, 1st yr)
Rose a midseason Rookie of the Year candidate; Parker did not play in first meeting.

SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 7 Ben Gordon (6-3, 5th yr)
Move over Scottie: Gordon is new Bulls franchise 3-point king.

SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 9 Luol Deng (6-9, 5th yr)
Deng showing no ill effects of sprained ankle that cost him eight games.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 24 Tyrus Thomas (6-9, 3rd yr)
Duncan had 21 points vs. Bulls in previous meeting.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 13 Joakim Noah (6-11, 2nd yr)
Bonner excelling at spreading the floor for Duncan, et al.

SPURS RESERVES

12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 7th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
7 Fabricio Oberto, C, 6-10, 4th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
22 Austin Croshere, F, 6-10, 12th yr

BULLS RESERVES

90 Drew Gooden, F/C, 6-10, 7th yr
34 Aaron Gray, C, 7-0, 2nd yr
12 Kirk Hinrich, G, 6-3, 6th yr
5 Andres Nocioni, F, 6-7, 5th yr
2 Thabo Sefolosha G, 6-7, 3rd yr
11 Lindsey Hunter, G, 6-2, 16th yr
32 Larry Hughes, G, 6-5, 11th yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Bulls: Vinny Del Negro

INJURIES

Spurs: Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle) is out.

Bulls: Michael Ruffin (sprained left ankle) is out.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Malik Hairston, Jacque Vaughn, Mahinmi.

Bulls: Hinrich, Ruffin.

NOTABLE

Spurs won previous meeting 98-88 on Nov. 26 at the AT&T Center. George Hill, seeing extended minutes with Tony Parker out, scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds in that game. ..... Spurs are 18-3 against Bulls since 1998-99 season.

- Jeff McDonald

[duncan228]

San Antonio (25-13) at Chicago (18-22) Preview
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Sat Jan 17, 2009 TV: CSC
By Matt Beardmore

With inconsistency one of the most consistent elements of this season’s squad, the Bulls go for their first three-game winning streak of 2008-09 on Saturday night hosting a San Antonio team that has routinely defeated them in Chicago.

Chicago (18-22), which has dropped eight of its last 10 to the Spurs (25-13) at the United Center, improved to 13-7 at home following a 102-93 overtime victory over Central Division-leading Cleveland on Thursday night.

Derrick Rose, who had just six points though three quarters, finished with 16 points and six assists.

“Real fun, especially playing a team like that,” said Rose, who leads all rookies with 6.3 assists per game. “They’re a good team. We played well together, passed the ball good.”

While his scoring has dropped from 18.9 points per game in November to 14.9 thought eight games in January, Rose’s assists have improved each month. He is handing out 7.0 assists per game as the Bulls have gone 4-4 in 2009. On Saturday, the first overall draft pick will match up for the first time with Spurs counterpart Tony Parker, who missed the teams’ first meeting this season with a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for nine games.

Rose had 10 points, six assists and six rebounds in Chicago’s 98-88 loss to the Spurs on Nov. 26.

Luol Deng led six Bulls in double figures with 22 points against the Cavaliers. He is averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in three games since missing eight contests with a sprained left ankle.

In his third game back since missing 31 with a torn ligament in his right thumb, Kirk Hinrich gave Chicago a nice boost off the bench with three 3-pointers and 12 points. His 3-pointer in overtime came during a game-breaking 12-1 Chicago run.

Hinrich had 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Bulls’ last win over San Antonio in Chicago—a 99-87 victory on Jan. 15, 2007.

Drew Gooden returned from a one-game absence with a strained left groin and had 11 points and six rebounds on Thursday. The seventh-year power forward had 20 points and 12 boards in the loss to the Spurs this season.

While Chicago looks for just its third home win against San Antonio since 1996-97, the Southwest Division-leading Spurs are trying to rebound from their most lopsided defeat this season.

San Antonio opened its three-game road trip on Friday with a 109-87 loss to Philadelphia, its worst defeat since a 90-64 loss to Utah on April 4.

Tim Duncan posted his third straight double-double with team highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds against the 76ers, who outrebounded the Spurs 51-40.

“I think they just overall outplayed us,” said Duncan, averaging 20.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 10 career games in Chicago.

While shooting a season-low 36.5 percent from the field, the Spurs allowed 105 or more points for the third straight game. The last time San Antonio gave up 100 or more points in three straight games was April 7-10, 2005.

“We’re supposed to be a pretty good defensive team and it hasn’t looked like it for a while,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “We’re not the team we’ve been in the past couple years on the defensive end. It’s really troubling.”

San Antonio, though, has held Chicago to less than 100 points in 20 of the last 22 meetings.

Notes

Spurs:

The Spurs were dominated in the paint, being outscoring 56-34... Behind Manu Ginobili's 27 points, the Spurs bench outscored L.A.'s 41-25. ... Robert Horry, who won NBA les while playing for both the Lakers and Spurs, was in attendance. ... Both teams were hot from the field as the Spurs shot 57 percent and the Lakers shot 56.6.

Bulls:

Chicago used a 16-1 run bridging the fourth quarter and overtime to surge past Cleveland on Thursday. G Derrick Rose scored 16 points and had six assists. The rookie was only 6-for-20 from the field. ... The Bulls placed six players in double figures led by F Luol Deng, who scored 22 on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. ... Chicago has won two straight. ... F Tyrus Thomas had four blocks, including a spectacular rejection of LeBron James' shot inside the paint.

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Tony Parker SA 21.2
Ben Gordon Chi 20.2

Rebounds

Tim Duncan SA 10.1
Drew Gooden Chi 9.0

Assists

Tony Parker SA 6.5
Derrick Rose Chi 6.3

Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

San Antonio 25-13 1st Southwest / 3rd West 97.3 94.4 Road 10-6 Lost 1 7-3

Chicago 18-22 4th Central / 10th East 99.4 102.5 Home 13-7 Won 2 5-5

[Spork KIller]

Expect another beatdown tomorrow.

Your team is pathetic!

Bulls 99
Spurms 55

[timtonymanu]

My team is pathetic!

Twolves 105
Suns 103

fixed.

[Ditty]

Expect another beatdown tomorrow.

Your team is pathetic!

Bulls 99
Spurms 55

didnt the s lose to the t-wolves

[duncan228]

At midseason, Bulls still unpredictable
Capricious nature still part of the Bulls' DNA
By K.C. Johnson | Tribune reporter

The Bulls hit the midseason mark Saturday, playing host to the Spurs in an attempt to post their first three-game winning streak since April 2007.

The 41st game seems an opportune time for reflection, given that the Bulls have lost to the league's worst team and beat the league's best in the span of just six days.

Last Saturday's home loss to the Thunder and Thursday's stirring victory over the Cavaliers—both overtime affairs—underscore what rookie coach Vinny Del Negro has said all along about his team: It's unpredictable.

Even unpredictability can be analyzed, so here's a look at the new and the old as the Bulls chase the playoff spot they currently sit one game outside of over the season's second half.

The new

Derrick Rose: The rookie played 40 games in college for Memphis last season, so Saturday will mark new territory. And Rose has handled new territory well all season.

Yes, he needs defensive improvement. And, yes, his offensive numbers have dropped each month thus far. But as Wednesday's 17-point fourth quarter in Toronto and Thursday's three-point play in overtime prove, Rose has an extra gear that's unique.

Expect that to get better as he gets even more experience, even though opponents clearly are making him their defensive focal point.

"Teams are playing him differently, trying to get the ball out of his hands," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "They also switch him and try to take away his penetration. I think he's handling everything well."

And this is telling: While his scoring average has dropped from 18.9 points in November to 16.3 points in December to 14.9 points in January, his assists average has jumped from 6.1 to 6.2 to 7.0.

Del Negro: For the most part, Del Negro hasn't shied from holding players accountable with playing time. He hasn't been afraid to bench players without being permanently punitive, putting them back on the floor for another chance next game.

Subtly, too, he has shortened his rotation since Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich returned from injury, playing just nine players in the last two games. If that's a sign of Del Negro no longer trying to please everybody, it's a good thing because that's impossible in the NBA.

Some of Del Negro's in-game decisions can be questioned, and it's nice to see the offense move beyond a high screen-and-roll the last two games. He has remained upbeat and communicative with players.

"I try to stay grounded in terms of every day trying to figure out ways to get the guys to learn something," he said. "That's the way you build."

Hinrich and Deng: OK, so one is a sixth-year guard and the other a fifth-year forward. But they have regained the iden y each carried before last season's train wreck—at least for the three games since returning from injuries.

Hinrich has averaged 9.3 points on 52.9 percent shooting with 4.7 assists and clearly has added intensity at the defensive end.

"Sitting and watching, I wanted to bring energy," Hinrich said.

Deng is averaging 17.3 points and nine rebounds on 48.5 percent shooting in his last three games.

"I think it's a combination of his health and also things we're running offensively," Del Negro said. "We're getting him off slices and cuts."

The old

Bad defense: The Bulls rank 24th in allowing 102.5 points and 19th in surrendering 45.6 percent shooting. They allow far too much dribble penetration and often are slow on rotations.

The decent job they did against LeBron James, who said he was ill and missed shots he normally makes, shows this area can improve. But it's going to take trust, communication and more effort.

Inconsistent big men: Tyrus Thomas once again whetted the appe e with a 15-point, seven-rebound and four-block effort against Cleveland. Yet every time it appears the third-year forward has turned the corner, he hits a wall. Witness his three-point, two-rebound effort Saturday against Portland.

Noah's minutes have dropped considerably the last three games. When he and Thomas bring energy consistently, they change the team's dynamic because of their length and athleticism.

An unhappy Larry Hughes: If the veteran guard isn't moved by the Feb. 19 trade deadline, don't be surprised to see him distanced from the team a la Tim Thomas a couple of seasons ago. There clearly is no future here for Hughes, who played well and unselfishly earlier this season but now is completely out of the rotation and wants to start.


Matchup: San Antonio Spurs at Chicago Bulls

Series: Spurs lead 1-0.

Last meeting: Tim Duncan's 21 points helped the Spurs prevail 98-88 on Nov. 26 in San Antonio.

Probable starters, ppg

SPURS (25-13) BULLS (18-22)

Tony Parker 20.0 Derrick Rose 16.9
Roger Mason 12.2 Ben Gordon 20.3
Matt Bonner 8.2 Joakim Noah 4.5
Tim Duncan 20.4 Tyrus Thomas 8.3
Michael Finley 10.0 Luol Deng 13.7

Team comparison (Avg., NBA rank)

SPURS CATEGORY BULLS

97.6 (18) Scoring offense 99.5 (11)
94.0 (8) Scoring defense 102.5 (24)
47.1 (7) FG percentage 44.3 (25)
75.5 (21) FT percentage 79.8 (8)
39.7 (25) Rebounding 41.7 (15)
12.1 (1) Turnovers 15.0 (18)
Through Thursday

Story line: Drew Gooden is a game-time decision after not practicing Friday, although coach Vinny Del Negro said Gooden's strained left groin is better. The Bulls have lost 18 of 21 in this series.

[duncan228]

Bulls gearing up for Spurs
By Mike McGraw | Daily Herald StaffContact

After back-to-back wins over Toronto and Cleveland, including an overtime affair Thursday night, the occasion seemed to call for a day off from practice.

But the Bulls were back on the floor for a short workout Friday at the Berto Center. Tonight's home game against San Antonio is significant, because a victory would give the Bulls their first three-game winning streak since April 2007.

Coach Vinny Del Negro spent most of his playing career with the Spurs but denied feeling any extra incentive to get a win against his former team and coach Gregg Popovich.

"I don't know if it's personal," Del Negro said. "The Spurs, just a great tradition there. I just have a ton of respect for Pop and Tim (Duncan) and what they've been able to accomplish. They play the right way. They respect the game. They get after it defensively. They share the ball. Everyone knows what their job is and that's why they've been so successful for so long."

Deng steps forward: Luol Deng has looked like a different player since returning from an ankle injury. In the wins over Cleveland and Toronto, he combined for 38 points, 22 rebounds and 5 steals.

"I think it's a combination of his health and also things we're running offensively," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're getting him off slices and cuts. He's getting in passing lanes. He had 4 steals (against the Cavs) and is getting to the free-throw line. All those things add up and make a big difference."

Gooden's status unclear: Drew Gooden did not practice Friday. He was limited to 18 minutes off the bench against Cleveland because of a groin strain but did contribute 11 points and 6 rebounds.

"I know he was sore and struggled moving laterally, especially," coach Vinny Del Negro. "The effort was appreciated. He felt a little better (Friday), actually, which is good. What that means, I don't know. We'll see at the shootaround."

[Blackjack]

The last time San Antonio gave up 100 or more points in three straight games was April 7-10, 2005.

That didn't turn out so bad...

[crc21209]

Yeah, and that was in April of a championship yr, and its barely January now so everyone chill out!

[Austin_Toros]

bulls aren't a shabby team
luol deng has just come of two rock solid performances, hinrich has been ok since coming back and of course you have rose and gordon

hopefully TD can exploit them. but we lost to 76ers, will be lose to the bulls? most likely not.

[duncan228]

Spurs invade Windy City to take on Bulls

(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs resume a three-game road trip in the Windy City Saturday when they take on the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

The Spurs suffered their worst defeat of the year in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday when Thaddeus Young dropped a career-high 27 points and Andre Iguodala contributed 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds, as the Philadelphia 76ers whipped San Antonio, 109-87.

The Sixers have now won a season-high six straight games and gained a little revenge against the Spurs, who handed Philly its last loss on January 3 on Tony Parker's fadeaway baseline buzzer-beater.

Tim Duncan paced the Spurs with 20 points and 12 boards, but the visitors hit only 36.5 percent of their shots to fall for just the third time in 13 games. Parker finished with just 12 points and six helpers, while Matt Bonner was the only other San Antonio player in double digits with 13 points.

San Antonio, which is now 10-6 on the road and leads the Southwest Division by a game over the New Orleans Hornets, will conclude its trek in Charlotte on January 19.

The Bulls, meanwhile, opened a quick two-game homestand on Thursday when Luol Deng scored 22 points and hit a pair of three-pointers in overtime, and the Chicago played spectacular defense on LeBron James after the first half for a 102-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, but went a cold 8-of-28 from the field. He had just two field goals after halftime and accounted for half of his team's 16 turnovers.

Tyrus Thomas had 15 points and seven rebounds for Chicago, which beat the Cavs for the first time in four meetings this season and improved to 13-7 at the United Center. Rookie star Derrick Rose had 16 points on just 6-of-20 shooting for the Bulls, who have won two in a row overall.

The Spurs have won three straight and four of their last five meetings over the Bulls, including a 98-88 win in the Alamo City on November 26. San Antonio has also won six of its past seven contests with Chicago in the Windy City.

[de Soto]

The Spurs are gonna lose this one too. They were too dazed and confused last night to recover in time.

[gingerwave]

can't let that happen again. Need to play better.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Sat. Jan. 17
San Antonio @ Chicago: S. Foster; M. Lindsay; R. Mott

[ElNono]

Pop better have spent the night ripping a new asshole to everyone for their defensive showing last night... Come on Pop, time to open up the doghouse...

[The III]

Will be at game tonite rooting for the Spurs .

[Ghost Writer]

I would love Hinrich on the Spurs, but he's the only guard on the Bulls that plays any defense.


Nocioni would be revered as a Mailk Rose in San Antonio.


When will Sefolosha put it all together?

[45 bank shot]

Expect another beatdown tomorrow.

Your team is pathetic!

Bulls 99
Spurms 55

Ye, at least our team is not like some team that keeps gettin public attention and choking every year in the playoffs. Btw yesterday's loss to T-wolves... lollol

[Chris]

I would love Hinrich on the Spurs, but he's the only guard on the Bulls that plays any defense.


Nocioni would be revered as a Mailk Rose in San Antonio.


When will Sefolosha put it all together?

L. Hunter gives Parker fits.

[Ghost Writer]

Did somebody say "Nocioni"?