Reply With Quote
The San Antonio Spurs' longest winning streak of the season started against New Jersey. If recent history is any indication, it likely won't end against the Nets.
The Spurs try for their 12th straight win Saturday night when they host the stumbling Nets.
San Antonio's run started Feb. 13 with a 107-82 win over New Jersey. Tim Duncan had 21 points to lead four Spurs in double figures while the Nets played without Jason Kidd (back), Richard Jefferson (ankle) and Nenad Krstic (knee).
The win was San Antonio's eighth straight in the regular season against New Jersey since a 91-82 loss on Nov. 13, 2002. The Spurs (44-18), who beat the Nets in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals, have also won four straight home games in the series since a 92-86 defeat in San Antonio on Jan. 22, 2002.
The Spurs' current winning streak has been based largely on strong defense. San Antonio has not allowed an opponents to score in triple digits during the run and has held four to fewer than 75 points.
The Spurs kept their streak alive with Thursday's 100-93 win at Sacramento in the finale of a four-game road trip, shutting down an offense that had scored more than 100 points in four straight coming in.
"I don't know what it is, but we have turned the corner (on defense) and been more consistent," said Duncan, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds. "We use the regular season to get into form and get ready for the playoffs. Maybe it's taken us that long to understand playing defense, but we're starting to do it."
Manu Ginobili scored 16 of his team-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and finished with five 3-pointers.
"San Antonio already does a great job at taking care of the ball and is a capitalizing team, and we knew what we were up against tonight," Sacramento's Corliss Williamson said.
The Nets (28-34) have dropped four straight including the first three games of their season-high six-game road trip. New Jersey, which has lost four straight on the road, is 11-19 away from Continental Airlines Arena.
Bostjan Nachbar had a career-high 29 points off the bench Friday in New Jersey in a 112-91 loss to Houston, which scored more than 90 points for the first time during its current slide.
Nachbar, a former first-round pick of the Rockets who averages 8.6 points per game, has scored at least 20 in three of his last five games.
"Without Boki, we probably would have been buried," Nets coach Lawrence Frank told the team's official Web site on Friday.
Jefferson, who has been recovering from ankle surgery, had two points in 16 minutes during his first game since Jan. 22.
"My wind was fine," Jefferson told the Nets' official Web site on Friday. "I didn't really feel fatigued."
