Spurs-Nets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Feb 11 2012 2:02AM

The San Antonio Spurs were starting to play some of their best basketball of the season despite having one of their star players sidelined.

They figure to become all the more formidable with Manu Ginobili's much-anticipated return from injury.

Looking to extend its season-best winning streak to seven, San Antonio continues its nine-game road trip seeking a 17th win in 18 meetings with the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night.

The Spurs (18-9) seem to have hit their stride, winning six in a row while holding opponents to an average of 85.8 points. While San Antonio's recent defensive efforts have left little to be desired, Tony Parker has paced the offense with 28.4 points per game over his last five.

He had 37 points and eight assists in leading the Spurs to a 100-90 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday, and San Antonio's bench accounted for 40 points as Gary Neal had 18 and Tiago Splitter 15.

Tim Duncan has also come up big late, averaging 17.7 points and 10.8 rebounds during the winning streak.

With Parker and Duncan leading the way, the Spurs have gone 15-7 without Ginobili. Having arguably its most potent offensive threat back on the court, however, makes the team more dangerous.

"I think the group has exceeded our expectations and mostly because Timmy's been so steady, Tony's played so well and the young kids, the bench guys, have outdone themselves," coach Greg Popovich said.

"When Manu's ready, you bring him back, so that made it easy. He's Manu and when he's ready to go, you don't care if you're winning, losing, it doesn't matter. He's coming back."

Ginobili scored at least 23 points in three of his first four games before fracturing the fifth metacarpal on his shooting hand during a 106-96 defeat at Minnesota on Jan. 2. It's unknown if Ginobili will immediately rejoin the starting lineup or come off the bench and ease his way back into the swing of things.

"I don't have great expectations for the first few games. I just want to contribute, help a little bit, don't change anything of what the team's doing, just try to fit in again," Ginobili said.

"I think at the beginning I'm not going to play 30 minutes (but) come back slowly. I mean I wasn't in great shape even before the surgery, so not going to be now."

San Antonio may not need a huge effort from Ginobili in order to keep things going versus the slumping Nets (8-20).

The Spurs have outscored New Jersey by an average of 12.1 points during their current dominance in this series. Their only loss during that stretch came 90-84 at the Prudential Center on March 29, 2010, when Ginobili was unavailable due to back spasms.

New Jersey is coming off its fifth straight loss, getting swept in a home-and-home series with Detroit after a 109-92 defeat Friday. Coach Avery Johnson's team was outrebounded 47-31 and allowed the Pistons to shoot a season-best 54.4 percent.

"We got off to a good start - we were up 7-0 - but they took control," Johnson said. "They were hitting on every cylinder, and we didn't execute on either end."

While not much as gone right for the Nets of late, rookie sensation MarShon Brooks returned from a six-game absence due to a broken toe Friday. Brooks, second on the team with 14.4 points per game, scored seven on 2-of-7 shooting.

Getting outscored by an average of 11.0 points during its current skid, New Jersey last lost six straight Dec. 27-Jan. 4.

Neal leads Spurs to easy 103-89 win over Nets

Posted Feb 12 2012 12:06AM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) The San Antonio Spurs were without their sparkplug for 38 days.

The New Jersey Nets might wish Manu Ginobili sat out for one more night.

Ginobili scored eight points and had four assists in 17 minutes in the Spurs' 103-89 victory over the Nets, San Antonio's seventh in a row.

"I'm very happy to be back, first of all, after (almost) 40 days," said Ginobili, who broke a bone in his left hand on Jan. 2. "Conditioning-wise, I'm behind. Basketball-wise, I'm behind. I know the only way to get back is to play."

Gary Neal scored 18 points, and Tim Duncan recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Parker added 12 points, DeJuan Blair finished with 11, while Daniel Green and Thiago Splitter each had 10 for the Spurs.

San Antonio was bolstered by the return of their sixth man, Ginobili. The Argentinean guard had not played in 22 games.

"He wasn't worried about the hand, but he doesn't have his legs," Spurs coach Gregg Popvich said. "You can see he got a good start. He scored a little bit. He had some assists. He got a little bit of a rhythm, but the legs for the 3s aren't going to be there right away. He drove it pretty well and passed it pretty well."

Ginobili noted that doctors did not give him a protective brace to wear despite the six small screws in his hand.

"I was a little worried about today because the situation was kind of awkward (because of the) six-game winning streak, playing a team that's not doing well, me coming back," he said. "So I was a little worried. Once I saw the game, that we were going to get a win, I loosened up a little bit and I could enjoy (it) a little bit more."

Deron Williams scored 27 points to lead the Nets, who have lost six in a row. Kris Humphries added 15, while Jordan Farmar had 12 and Anthony Morrow 11 as New Jersey fell to 3-10 at home.

"A team like this, you really can't get down against them because it is an uphill battle from there," Williams said. "The way they play and how they space you out and they get to every spot they want to."

The Spurs took control in the second quarter by making 14 of 19 shots to outscore the Nets 31-18 and take a 55-40 lead at halftime. San Antonio's torrid shooting was coupled by strong defense. New Jersey missed 19 of its 27 shots in the quarter, including all six 3-point attempts.

"Pretty good first quarter for us, but they turned it up on us in the second quarter and ended up building a 21-point lead," Nets coach Avery Johnson said.

New Jersey cut into San Antonio's lead midway in the third quarter. Williams' 3-pointer cut the deficit to 62-56, but the Nets would get no closer.

San Antonio went on a 15-3 run to end the quarter that pushed the Spurs' lead to 73-59. The spurt was highlighted by Splitter's half-hook from the left, low block and a two-handed dunk on consecutive possessions.

"We showed some fight, some execution, to get the lead to six," Humphries said. "When we make a run, we have to maintain it. We probably get comfortable instead of pushing it to the next level."

Notes: New Jersey and San Antonio wore their ABA jerseys as part of the Nets' Hardwood Classic Night. ... The Knicks' Jeremy Lin, the NBA's new out-of-nowhere star, was praised by both the Spurs and the Nets. "I think it's great for the NBA," Johnson said. Offered Popovich: "He looks damn good, that's for sure." ... Friday night's game marked the final time Richard Jefferson would play in New Jersey against the team for which he played the first seven years of his career. "I have a lot of fond memories here," Jefferson said. "I'll try not to get too nostalgic until after the game."

Notebook: Spurs 103, Nets 89

Posted Sunday February 12, 2012 12:12AM

By Jake Appleman, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: With the word "Chaps" (short for Chaparrals, the team's original A.B.A. name) scrawled across the front of their Hardwood Classic jerseys, the San Antonio Spurs played like that a group that had been friends forever, fitting given the team's long-tenured leaders. Led by Gary Neal's 18, six Spurs scored in double figures and they defeated the Nets, 103-89, in a game that was never really in doubt after a close first quarter.

Contrasting the Spurs' impressive balance, Deron Williams (27 points, eight assists, 9-23 shooting) was often left to his lonesome to try and bring the Nets back, as their shooters were stifled and their big men couldn't handle the Spurs inside.

QUOTABLE: "The bench has sustained us all year. It's why we've kept our head above water. Our entire bench has been fantastic. Tim Duncan has played fewer minutes this season than he ever has. He understands what we're doing."
-- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

THE STAT: Only one Spur that played over ten minutes shot under 50 percent from the floor. That was player was Tony Parker, who provided the game's...

TURNING POINT: Parker's consecutive layups to open the scoring in the second quarter put the Spurs up 28-22. The first bucket came in transition and the second was of the twisting, acrobatic variety. The Nets never really threatened after that.

QUOTEABLE II: "We gotta start beating teams like Detroit if we think we're going to come in and beat San Antonio."
-- Nets forward Kris Humphries, on the team's struggles. The Nets lost consecutive games to the Pistons before losing to the Spurs.

QUOTEABLE III: "That's our system. Our system is not a one-on-one type situation...On any given night, anyone can hit double digits."
-- Spurs guard, Danny Green (10 points), on the Spurs' style.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Former New York Giants punter Sean Landeta was shown on the Jumbotron in the first quarter...ESPN personality Michelle Beadle sat near the court...A decent number of fans wore Spurs gear and held up signs in the crowd.

ROOKIE WATCH: For the Nets, MarShon Brooks (seven points, five rebounds, 2-10 shooting) struggled in his return to the starting lineup and Jordan Williams played sparingly. For the Spurs, Kawhi Leonard (five points, eight rebounds) played good defense and made some nice plays while Cory Joseph saw over two minutes of garbage time.

NOTABLE: Manu Ginobili checked in to nice applause in midway through the first quarter. Ginobili collected eight points and four assists in 17 minutes in his return after missing 22 games with a fractured fifth metacarpal. His first basket was a pretty layup in transition...The Spurs started the game on a 13-5 run...DeJuan Blair was all over the court in the first quarter, hustling to loose balls and dominating inside...Humphries converted a long alley-oop dunk off of a feed from Jordan Farmar late in the second quarter and landed flat on his back...

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Tuesday @ Detroit, Wednesday @ Toronto, Saturday @ LA Clippers. For the Nets, Wednesday vs. Memphis, Thursday @ Indiana, Saturday @ Chicago.

• Spurs: Ford
• Nets: Bogans, James, Lopez

• Spurs: --
• Nets: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #6 Tony Brown, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 15272
• Duration: 2:02