Game is Friday 7:30 CST.
Minnesota (4-14) at San Antonio (15-3)
Tipoff: 8:30 pm EST Fri Dec 3, 2010
TV: FSSW
By Matt Becker
The San Antonio Spurs not only own the NBA’s best record but also have a 13-game winning streak over the Minnesota Timberwolves, owners of the second-worst mark in the league.
Despite all that, the Spurs probably won’t take the Timberwolves lightly considering what happened the last time they met.
San Antonio tries to bounce back from a defeat to the NBA’s worst team when it hosts Minnesota, which is seeking its first win at the AT&T Center in nearly seven years, on Friday night.
The Spurs (15-3) went into Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers riding an 18-game winning streak in the series, but fell 90-85. San Antonio’s starters had a season-low 46 points on 37.8 percent shooting, with Tim Duncan scoring eight on 2 of 8 from the floor and Tony Parker finishing with two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
“We played badly, bottom line,” said Duncan, who recorded a triple-double in a 20-point road victory over Golden State one night earlier.
The Spurs lost for just the second time in 16 games and fell to the Clippers for the first time since March 7, 2006.
“It’s the NBA, and anybody can beat anybody at any time,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
The Spurs hope to avoid a similar fate against a Timberwolves team it hasn’t lost to since a 103-101 overtime defeat Jan. 3, 2007.
San Antonio had a close call in Minnesota last Wednesday, however, falling behind by 21 before rallying to win 113-109 in overtime. Manu Ginobili scored 14 of his 26 in the fourth quarter for the Spurs, who didn’t take their first lead until 49 seconds remained in the extra period.
San Antonio hopes things go a bit easier at the AT&T Center, where it won both games against Minnesota last season by an average of 20.0 points. The Spurs, who open a six-game homestand and play nine of their next 10 in San Antonio, have won 12 straight at home over the Timberwolves since Jan. 14, 2004.
San Antonio isn’t the only city that has given Minnesota trouble. The Timberwolves are 1-9 on the road and have one win in their last 22 games away from the Target Center.
Minnesota (4-14) arrives in San Antonio following a 100-86 loss at Dallas on Wednesday, its fifth straight defeat. Michael Beasley had a team-high 16 points for the Timberwolves, who shot 39.0 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 17 times.
Turnovers have been an ongoing problem for Minnesota, which is averaging a league-worst 17.8.
“We turned the ball over way too much,” coach Kurt Rambis said. “And guys got discouraged. Even when it got into the 10-point range in the third quarter, our guys still had their heads down, that was a little bit of a disappointment. So, the guys are young, they’ve got to get to the point where they do little things that turn the game in their favor.”
Kevin Love, the league’s top rebounder, struggled a bit against the Mavericks with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting and 15 boards. The forward had averaged 25.7 points and 20.3 boards in his previous three games, including a 32-point, 22-rebound effort against the Spurs.
*********************
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Michael Beasley Min 21.2
Manu Ginobili SA 21.5
Rebounds
Kevin Love Min 14.9
Tim Duncan SA 9.4
Assists
Sebastian Telfair Min 4.1
Tony Parker SA 7.1
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...at-spurs-15-3/Friday: Timberwolves (4-14) at Spurs (15-3)
Jeff McDonald
Spurs have won 13 in a row against Minnesota, including 113-109 win in Minneapolis on Nov. 24 that required a comeback from 21 points down...Timberwolves haven’t won in San Antonio since April 12, 2004.
Hit the link for quotes from Manu, Duncan, Hill, and Pop.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...-down-at-home/Spurs happy to hunker down at home
Jeff McDonald
...Tonight’s game against Minnesota marks the start of a six-game homestand at the AT&T Center, the longest of the season. It kicks off a month-long stretch of not-so-frequent flying for the Spurs.
Eleven of the team’s 14 remaining games in December are at home, affording players a chance to unpack their suitcases, re-introduce themselves to their families and sleep in their own beds for a bit.
Last edited by duncan228; 12-03-2010 at 01:54 AM.
Trap game
Wolves-San Antonio game preview
Jerry Zgoda
Star Tribune
Preview: The Spurs' perfect road record ended with Wednesday's 90-85 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, but they still own the league's best record, at 15-3. The 8-0 record was their best road start ever and marked the first time they've won eight in a row there since the 2005-06 team won nine consecutive away from AT&T Center. ... The Spurs' 14-1 November record was their best in that month ever and that .933 winning percentage was the second-best month in franchise history, second only to a 16-0 March in 1996.
Player to watch: Shooting guard Manu Ginobili's 21.5 scoring average through 18 games is nearly seven points better than his career average and five more than the 16.5 he averaged last season. He ranks ninth in the league in steals (1.9), 12th in free-throw percentage (89.5), 14th in scoring and 26th in assists (5.0).
Numbers: The Spurs' 14 victories in November was one fewer than the Wolves won all last season.
Injuries: Wolves PG Jonny Flynn plays his first game since July hip surgery Friday in the D League with Sioux Falls. G/F Martell Webster (back surgery) and C Nikola Pekovic remain out. Spurs rookie G James Anderson is out because of a stress fracture in his foot.
Spurs win by 12
Not again...
so.. kevin love's turn again to light up the spurs?
Timberwolves wins by 2
Darko goes for 50
http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Fri. Dec. 3
Minnesota @ San Antonio: Marc Davis; Tony Brown; Marat Kogut
Let's slow down the Ivory Towers this time, shall we?
Advanced Scouting: Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of
http://www.48minutesof .com/advan...spurs-12-03-10
we're playing the same teams over and over... can't we play somebody different?
I hope Splitter gets some meaningful time against Love and Darko.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...le-to-mcdyess/Darko’s development has been noticeable to McDyess
Tim Griffin
..."I’m not surprised at all,” McDyess said. “He’s always had the talent. I think it was just up to Darko to do it. He always was moping around (before), but now he realizes he can make something happen. He’s doing an excellent job.”
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...rk-confidence/Hill’s recent surge keyed by extra work, confidence
Tim Griffin
..."It happens that things dip in your game,” Hill said. “I thought I had a great training camp and had a little dip at the start. It took me a couple of games to get my feet back under myself. I feel fine now.”
We'll kill them, Spurs by 20
Looking for a rejuvenated Spurs team with motive. Expecting a blow out.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...-timberwolves/Well-rested Spurs ready to rebound against the Timberwolves
Tim Griffin
...Unlike after a typical night game on the road, the team stayed over in Los Angles for the night after the game before returning to San Antonio Thursday morning. That extra rest came after playing three games in the last five days.
"the team stayed over in Los Angles for the night"
did somebody chaperon Tony?
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