Jazz-Spurs Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Apr 07 2012 3:04PM

The San Antonio Spurs aren't necessarily focused on it, but a lengthy win streak has given them an opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

A season high-tying 11th consecutive victory could help the Spurs do just that. At the very least, San Antonio will try to wrap up a 15th straight playoff berth as it begins a home-and-home set with the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.

San Antonio (39-14) moved percentage points ahead of Oklahoma City atop the conference by cruising to a 128-103 victory over visiting New Orleans on Friday. A 72-point first half allowed the Spurs to get 13 players in the game and have each of their starters play 22 minutes or fewer.

Tim Duncan led the way with 19 points during his team's best shooting performance of the season (60.7 percent). Each San Antonio player scored at least five points and the reserves totaled 82, the most by any team since Orlando on Jan. 3, 2000.

Another such performance against the Jazz (29-27) could help the Spurs overtake the Thunder in the West. Oklahoma City, losers of three in a row, host Toronto on Sunday night.

"At this point of the season, we haven't been playing for that. We've just been playing game to game, trying to get better as a team. But it's great to be in that situation," Duncan said.

San Antonio, seeking to match its 11-game win streak from Jan. 30-Feb. 20, has won five in a row over Utah and is 25-2 in the last 27 home matchups, including three wins during the 2007 playoffs.

The Spurs prevailed 104-89 during the most recent game at the AT&T Center on Dec. 31 as Manu Ginobili scored 14 of his team-best 23 points in the second quarter and gave coach Gregg Popovich his 800th career win.

San Antonio had a more difficult time during a visit to the Jazz on Feb. 20. Richard Jefferson hit a key 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left to give the Spurs a 106-102 victory.

"We've just got to keep winning and playing well together," Ginobili said.

Utah enters this game having won two of three. After missing one game with a sprained left ankle, Devin Harris scored a season-high 28 points in a 104-98 win over visiting Golden State on Friday.

Al Jefferson had a team-best 30 points along with 11 rebounds and a season-best five blocks despite sitting out 4 1/2 minutes in the third quarter due to an abdominal strain.

Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles also played while dealing with illness, keeping ninth-place Utah in striking distance for the West's final playoff berths.

"This time of year, what we are fighting for, you don't have time to complain about anything," Al Jefferson said.

While enduring any aches, Jefferson will try to improve on his 21.5-point average in the last four games against San Antonio, owners of the NBA's longest active streak of postseason berths. He's scored 20.4 points per game on 52.7 percent shooting over his last eight visits to the AT&T Center.

The teams play again Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Spurs sink Jazz 114-104 to extend win streak to 11

By PAUL J. WEBER
Posted Apr 08 2012 11:55PM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) The San Antonio Spurs pushed their winning streak to 11 on a night when coach Gregg Popovich committed to playing just 10 men.

That health prioritizing isn't likely to change - whether first place is on the line or not.

Tony Parker scored 28 points, Manu Ginobili had 23 off the bench and the Spurs reached their second 11-game winning streak of the season, beating the Utah Jazz 114-104 on Sunday night to maintain their slim lead atop the Western Conference.

Tim Duncan added 13 points and 16 rebounds, making this 28th win in 33 games for the Spurs look like countless other Big Three showcases. But different this time was Ginobili, who has missed 29 games with injuries this year, deliberately seeking out contact to toughen up before the playoffs. Popovich also sat starting center DeJuan Blair for the first time all season.

"It's time for me to join in," Ginobili said following his biggest game since returning from a broken hand in March.

Yet he may not join the Spurs on Monday night in Salt Lake City, when the Spurs and Jazz finish an unusual home-and-home in consecutive nights. Someone shouted to Ginobili in the locker room they'd see him when they got back from Utah, though Ginobili said he did not know if he was making the trip.

Al Jefferson led the Jazz with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, which dropped 1 1/2 games behind Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot with nine games to go. Devin Harris had 18 points and reserve DeMare Carroll had 16 for the Jazz. Guard C.J. Miles left in the second quarter with a strained left calf, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI when the team returns to Utah.

"Any time you lose your top guys, it's tough. But we're a deep team. Injuries happen," Harris said. "They're unfortunate, but it's more playing time for the other guys. We just have to keep playing and fighting through."

Six of Utah's remaining games are against winning teams. The Jazz (29-28) are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time in three years and are poised to decide their own fate if they get there. Utah still has meetings left against Dallas, Phoenix and Houston, all of whom entered Sunday within 1 1/2 games of each other.

The Spurs (40-14) have played two more games than the Thunder (41-15). San Antonio overtook Oklahoma City in the standings for the first time all season Friday and owns the tiebreaker with 12 games remaining.

Expect to see the Spurs cashing in on their new stockpile of depth between now and then. Aside from Popovich sitting Blair, newcomer Stephen Jackson didn't play, either.

Danny Green had 14 points. Ginobili was 14 of 15 from the foul line, saying he made the conscious decision to attack the basket, in part, because he's essentially trying to get used to absorbing physical contact again.

"I'm trying to start to be more aggressive going to the rim. I haven't been fouled much," Ginobili said.

The Jazz trailed by as many as 19 but made a game of it in the fourth. Utah cut the lead to 108-100 with around 2 minutes left, but after Duncan pulled down his 15th rebound on a missed jumper by Gordon Hayward jumper, Parker scored the final six points to finish off the pesky Jazz.

Parker went 9 of 14 from the floor and hit all 10 of his foul shots.

Popovich has insisted that health will trump seeding down the stretch, but the Spurs keep winning in spite of him trying to limit the mileage on his stars before the playoffs. San Antonio is one of just four teams with at least 10 players averaging 19 minutes - New York's the only other winning one - and a rare Spurs midseason shopping spree has given them the luxury of even more depth.

Boris Diaw scored 9 points in his first start since signing with the Spurs on March 23. Along with Jackson and point guard Patty Mills, the Spurs are 11-1 since giving their bench a facelift around the trade deadline.

Parker said Popovich is breaking the news about who's in and out prior to tipoff.

"He's telling before who he's not going to play," Parker said. "We all have to be ready."

Notes: Jazz G Earl Watson (right knee strain) did not return after playing 5 minutes in the first half. ... Blair was the only Spurs player to start every game this season prior to Sunday. ... The Spurs have beaten Utah in six consecutive meetings.

Notebook: Spurs 114, Jazz 104

Posted Sunday April 8, 2012 10:42PM

By Tim Price, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Tony Parker scored 28 points, including all 10 tries from the foul line, and Manu Ginobili went for 23 points with 14-of-15 free throws as the San Antonio Spurs won their 11th-straight game with a 114-104 decision over the Utah Jazz on Sunday at AT&T Center.

The West-leading Spurs (40-14) matched the league's longest win streak of the season -- San Antonio also won 11 in a row from Jan. 30-Feb. 20 -- and shot better than 50 percent for the third-straight home game (50.7 percent).

Utah (29-28) got double-doubles from Al Jefferson (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Derrick Favors (14 and 12), but dropped to 1 1/2 games behind Denver for the final playoff spot.

QUOTABLE: "(Parker and Tim Duncan) have been on the same page for a long time. That's the key why we're now No. 1 in the West. Tony has been unbelievable the whole season. TD in the last 30 games has been playing great, so it's about time for me to join in. I'm starting to feel better."
-- Ginobili.

THE STAT I: Parker, Ginobili and Duncan scored 23 of the final 25 points for the Spurs. Duncan had a double-double for the night (13 points, 16 rebounds).

THE STAT II: The Spurs easily surpassed a season-high for free-throw attempts, hitting 38-of-43 tries for 88 percent. The Jazz faltered at the line, hitting 16-of-26, and even though they put up 24 more shots from the floor (93 to 69) they still lost.

TURNING POINT: The Spurs led by as much as 19 points in the first half, but Utah cut it to single digits when Favors scored inside the paint to make it 93-84 with 8 1/2 minutes left. The Spurs responded with a 10-2 run over the next the next three minutes. Utah was 4-of-11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "We had a chance, and the free throws cost us a little bit in a tight ball game. We pulled to about seven or eight points (behind the Spurs) then we missed four or five in a row. That hurts you."
-- Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin.

HOT: You have to go back 10 games to find when Ginobili had missed a free throw. But he only took 12 free throws in that stretch. He missed tonight, but he went 14-of-15. That's the most free-throw attempts for him this season the next highest being eight on opening night.

NOT: Paul Millsap went 1-of-8 from the floor until finally being sat down on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Favors was 7-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter in place of Millsap.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Ginobili scored 23 points and had five rebounds. It's his first time to hit the 20-point mark since March 28. It's only his third time in 20 points in the last 14 games.

GOOD MOVE: Boris Diaw was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since the contract buyout in Charlotte cleared him to come to the Spurs. He hit 4-of-5 shots for nine points, but he took a hit by engaging in Utah's physical play. He fouled out, the first disqualification for the Spurs this season.

BAD MOVE: When the Jazz lost Earl Watson to right knee soreness in the first half, it forced Utah to spend most of the rest of the game using Devin Harris to guard Parker. It was a glaring mismatch late when Parker drove in for two layups in the final two minutes after the Jazz had cut the Spurs' lead to eight points.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kawhi Leonard hit 3-of-4 shots for six points, had four rebounds, a block and a steal in 26 1/2 minutes. Alec Burks was 1-of-5 and had three turnovers. Enes Kanter played 10 minutes and had three fouls.

NOTABLE: Besides Watson, Utah had to sit C.J. Miles in the first half after he sustained a left calf strain. ...There were three technical fouls in the game (Gregg Popovich, Millsap, Duncan), all for arguing calls. ... Jamaal Tinsley was called for a clear-path foul in the fourth quarter when he shoved Parker from the side as Parker was beginning to head down the court with a steal. ... These teams play again Monday in Utah, and the Spurs will be going for a series sweep, having won all three meetings so far this season.

UP NEXT: For the Jazz, Monday vs. San Antonio, Wednesday @ Houston, Friday @ New Orleans. For the Spurs, Monday @ Utah, Wednesday vs. Lakers, Thursday vs. Memphis.

• Jazz: Bell, Howard
• Spurs: Joseph

• Jazz: Millsap
• Spurs: Duncan, Popovich

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #65 Sean Wright, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 18581
• Duration: 2:13