Spurs-Rockets Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 29 2011 1:06AM

Many thought the aging San Antonio Spurs would accept that their better days were behind them, making room for the younger teams atop the Western Conference.

It doesn't seem as if they were informed.

After victories over a pair of up-and-coming conference foes, San Antonio looks to beat the Houston Rockets for the fifth time in six tries when the teams meet Thursday night at Toyota Center.

With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker supposedly in the latter stages of their careers, few predicted the Spurs would come close to replicating their 61-win campaign of 2010-11 - particularly after they crashed and burned in the first round of the playoffs.

So far, San Antonio (2-0) has proved its doubters wrong. After gaining a small measure of revenge for its postseason exit by beating Memphis 95-82 on Monday, the Spurs crushed the Los Angeles Clippers 115-90 on Wednesday.

The strong start has surprised even Ginobili, who scored 24 points in both games.

"I didn't think that the team was ready to have two games like this," Ginobili said of the Spurs, who have won their first two games for the first time since opening 2007-08 with three straight victories. "We're looking sharp, but I don't want to get too confident. I don't think it's fair or it's true. We still have a long way to go. It just so happened we played two very good games."

Six Spurs scored in double figures Wednesday as they went 10 of 19 from 3-point range. San Antonio outscored L.A. 38-17 in the third quarter to pull away.

"Our defense in the second half was great," Ginobili said. "They scored (36 points) in the second half. We were pretty good on defense. We moved the ball, and everybody scored."

Houston (0-1) is coming off a 104-95 loss to Orlando on Monday in the debut of coach Kevin McHale, who credited his new team for adjusting to his system despite the defeat.

"Mentally, we're asking them to do a lot of different things with new coverages and a lot of different things with new calls and stuff like that," McHale said. "Some of that was blown. Overall, I think this team will play hard. I think we're feisty."

One positive to come out of the opener was Samuel Dalembert's performance. A day after officially signing a multi-year contract he agreed to before Christmas, Dalembert had 10 points in less than 20 minutes.

Dalembert's signing was a necessity after a proposed three-team trade with New Orleans and the Lakers involving Chris Paul, which would have brought Pau Gasol to the Rockets, was rejected by the league.

"I went out there and got some minutes and kept it going," Dalembert said. "That is what a team is all about. I like this group. This year we really have to emphasize on defense and then we can get extra possessions. If we can do that, we will be OK."

Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists, while Luis Scola scored 19 points.

Scola had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Kevin Martin had a game-high 33 points in Houston's most recent meeting with San Antonio, a 119-114 overtime victory April 1 at home.

The Rockets overcame 31 points from Parker and 23 each from Duncan and Ginobili to end a four-game losing streak against the Spurs, who have won three of the last five meetings in Houston.

Martin, Lowry lead Rockets over Spurs 105-85

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Dec 29 2011 11:30PM

HOUSTON (AP) Kyle Lowry didn't mind coming up just short of a triple-double in the Houston Rockets' home opener.

With a challenging early season schedule, the Houston point guard is more interested in victories than statistics.

Lowry had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Kevin Martin scored 25 points and the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-85 on Thursday night.

Houston was playing the first of three games on consecutive nights, and Lowry sat out the fourth quarter, even though he was flirting with his second career triple-double.

The Rockets play at Memphis on Friday, then return home to face Atlanta on Saturday.

"We've got a chance to get some home wins, and that's what we've got to do," Lowry said. "We've got to go out there and get the wins we need to get."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was also thinking ahead as the Rockets pulled away. He rested Tim Duncan in the second half, and had every starter but Richard Jefferson on the bench for most of the fourth quarter.

"We were not playing well and I decided not to play them, and I was able to work other guys and get some other looks," Popovich said.

DeJuan Blair scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for San Antonio, which shot 38 percent (35 of 93) and went 2 for 17 from 3-point range. Duncan went 1 for 8 from the field and scored four points and Jefferson went 2 for 10 and had only five points for the aging Spurs, who looked tired playing their third game in four nights.

"We were below where we want to be," said Manu Ginobili, who scored eight points. "In a season like this, we will have to wait and see if this might happen more often. You have to let it go and think about the next game."

Luis Scola scored eight of Houston's first 10 points, before Martin found his range. He sank his first 3-pointer of the season after going 0 for 6 from long range in the opening loss to Orlando and the Rockets led 13-4.

The Spurs missed nine of their first 10 shots, but rallied to cut their deficit to 23-18 by the end of the first quarter.

Martin stayed hot in the second quarter, hitting another 3 to help the Rockets rebuild the lead.

"I felt like myself tonight," he said.

San Antonio, meanwhile, hit another drought in the second quarter, missing 15 of its first 17 shots.

Houston led 53-35 at the break. Martin sank three 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the half, only two points shy of the total for the Spurs' entire starting lineup.

"Everybody was all worried about him," Lowry said of Martin. "He just missed shots in Orlando, that was it. Once he made shots, you see what he does."

Martin swished a 3-pointer in the first 45 seconds of the third quarter to stretch the lead past 20 points for the first time. Tony Parker and Ginobili started driving inside and San Antonio began to rally, climbing to within 12 on Blair's putback near the midpoint of the quarter.

Martin hit another long jumper and Lowry sank a 3 as the Rockets regained control and built the lead to 78-59 by the start of the fourth.

A lineup of all reserves maintained the comfortable lead for Houston early in the final quarter, as the Spurs continued to sputter on offense.

"Houston played better than we did," Parker said. "They shot the ball and defensively, had a good game plan."

Samuel Dalembert, acquired by Houston on Monday, blocked four shots and scored four points in 21 minutes of action. The 6-foot-11 Dalembert, a much-needed presence inside, had 10 points and five rebounds in Houston's opener.

Notes: Spurs G Gary Neal (appendectomy) did not make the trip, though Popovich said Neal is "progressing each day." Neal averaged 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists last season. Popovich hopes that Neal will be ready for contact drills "in a couple of days." ... Rockets F Patrick Patterson (sprained right ankle) sat out for the second straight game. ... Spurs F Tiago Splitter had 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. ... Dalembert also had seven rebounds. ... Scola scored 18 points for Houston.

Notebook: Rockets 105, Spurs 85

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday December 29, 2011 11:38PM

THE FACTS: The San Antonio Spurs struggled to hit shots, and an energetic Houston Rockets squad did not mind one bit.

Kevin Martin scored 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, Kyle Lowry poured in 16 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists, and Luis Scola netted 18 and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 105-85 thrashing of the Spurs in Houston's home-opener Thursday at Toyota Center.

DeJuan Blair (22 points, 12 rebounds) and Tiago Splitter (10 points, 11 rebounds) each posted a double-double to pace San Antonio, which was plagued by a 37.6 percent shooting effort.

QUOTABLE: "Our ability to sag in and rotate and get hands up and challenge shots, they [the players] can do it. They showed it tonight. They can challenge shots and be a good defensive team."
-- Rockets coach Kevin McHale on Houston's goal to become much better defensively this season.

THE STAT: Although the Spurs snatched 22 offensive rebounds, partially due to missing so many shots, they converted on only nine of those 22 second chances.

TURNING POINT: Houston created all the separation it needed with a 23-6 run over the final 8:41 of the first half, stretching a 30-29 advantage into a 53-35 lead at halftime. Fueled by Martin breaking out of his December shooting slump, solid team-rebounding defensively and great hustle by the second unit, the Rockets capitalized on San Antonio's bricks to blow the game wide open.

QUOTABLE II: "It's a typical case of regression to the mean. We played extremely good the first two games ... and today we were below expectations. ... We just mentally were not here. ... They just killed us. You got to be smart sometimes and just let it go."
-- Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.

HOT: The trio of Lowry, Scola and Martin earned the privilege of resting for the entire fourth quarter after combining for 59 points on 24-for-39 (61.5 percent) shooting, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals over the first three periods.

NOT: The Spurs found no rhythm from the outside, clanking wide-open 3-point attempts early before misfiring on less desirable long-range looks in the second quarter. San Antonio finished the game 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) from behind the arc, which included another off night from 3-point specialist Matt Bonner (1-for-3).

GOOD MOVE: Like the Spurs, the Rockets can generate plenty of offense from the perimeter. And after a rough 3-point shooting night in the season-opener followed by a 2-for-10 start to Thursday's game, Houston could have shied away from shooting treys. Instead, the Rockets continued to launch shots with confidence and made five of their next 10 attempts from downtown en route to building a 20-point lead.

BAD MOVE: The Spurs could have pounced on Houston early in the game, as the Rockets' sloppy defensive rotations gave San Antonio open looks at the basket on numerous occasions. But the Spurs' ball movement simply was not crisp enough, allowing Houston's defenders to close late and force missed shots. As the game progressed, the Spurs seemed increasingly reluctant to swing the ball around, finishing with only 12 assists on 35 buckets.

NOTABLE: Houston held the lead wire-to-wire, upping its advantage to as much as 25. ... Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan sat out the entire second half after he was limited to four points on 1-for-8 shooting and one rebound in the first half. After the game, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan is not injured. ... Ginobili and Tony Parker also rested for most of the second half. ... Rookie forward Chandler Parsons netted the first points of his career on a drive to the hoop with 8.8 seconds left in the first period. Forward Marcus Morris also poured in his first career points with 5:48 left in the fourth. ... Houston has won 10 of its last 11 home-openers. ... The Spurs remain without reserve guard Gary Neal (appendectomy), but Popovich said he is guessing Neal will be back in "a week or so." ... Rockets forward Patrick Patterson also sat out of Thursday's game but said he is hopeful he can play Friday at Memphis.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Saturday vs. Utah, Monday @ Minnesota, Wednesday vs. Golden State. For the Rockets, Friday @ Memphis, Saturday vs. Atlanta, Tuesday @ L.A. Lakers.

• Spurs: Neal
• Rockets: Adrien, Patterson

• Spurs: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #7 Kevin Fehr, #56 Mark Ayotte
• Attendance: 18267
• Duration: 1:57