Lakers-Spurs Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 19 2012 2:54PM

The San Antonio Spurs handed the Los Angeles Lakers their worst loss of the season earlier this week, but that came with Kobe Bryant sidelined.

The Spurs likely won't get such a break this time with the Lakers star set to return from injury.

The Western Conference-leading Spurs will be trying to extend their winning streak to six Friday night, but Bryant is expected to play for the first time in eight games and face San Antonio for the first time in 2011-12.

After its eight-game home winning streak was snapped with a 98-84 loss to the Bryant-less Lakers on April 11, the Spurs (45-16) routed Los Angeles 112-91 at Staples Center on Wednesday.

Tony Parker had 29 points and 13 assists and Tim Duncan added 19 points with eight rebounds as San Antonio snapped a three-game skid in the series.

"It went just as well for us as it went for them in San Antonio," coach Gregg Popovich said. "The Lakers had the kind of night we had back home when they destroyed us. So we had a good night, and we still caught a break.

"I looked hard, but I didn't see Kobe anywhere. I think that helped us a little bit."

The Spurs, one-half game in front of Oklahoma City, could see plenty of Bryant on Friday after he missed the last seven games with a bruised left shin. Los Angeles went 5-2 without the NBA scoring leader.

The Pacific Division-leading Lakers (40-23) are looking for a strong three-game finish as they try to hold off the Clippers for the third seed in the West. They were able to survive without Bryant thanks in part to Andrew Bynum, who averaged 23.1 points and 14.1 rebounds during that stretch, and Pau Gasol, who scored 21.1 points per game while the 14-time All-Star was out.

Bynum had 31 points and nine rebounds while Gasol had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 99-87 victory at Golden State on Wednesday. The Lakers set a season high with 34 assists.

"It's been good to see how much the guys have progressed in doing things they ordinarily would not try to do," Bryant said. "Now when I'm not out there, you have to do other things. You have to experiment with your game, and they had a great deal of success with that and their confidence is at a high level, which is great."

The Lakers, though, will face a deep San Antonio team that might be playing as well as any club in the NBA. Without Duncan, who was given the night off to rest, San Antonio beat Sacramento 127-102 on Wednesday to end a 3-0 California trip.

Ten Spurs scored at least eight points, with Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal tying for the team lead with 17.

"Our best player (Duncan) doesn't play and we still win by 20," said Stephen Jackson, the lone Spur to play 30 minutes. "It's our preparation, giving every team we face respect, and going out and playing hard."

Duncan will likely return to the lineup Friday as the Spurs try to avoid a third straight home loss to the Lakers. Bynum's career-best and NBA season-high 30 boards helped Los Angeles outrebound San Antonio 60-33 on April 11.

The Lakers, who host the Thunder on Sunday before closing out their schedule at Sacramento on Thursday, will clinch home-court advantage in the first round with a victory Friday or a loss by Memphis to Charlotte.

Spurs beats Lakers 121-97

Posted Apr 21 2012 1:37AM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) The San Antonio Spurs' stars made sure Kobe Bryant's return wasn't a triumphant one.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all scored at least 20 points to help San Antonio beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-97 on Friday night and remain atop the Western Conference.

Bryant, who had missed the previous seven games with a bruised left shin, scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

The Lakers went 5-2 without the NBA's scoring leader, but with only two games left in the regular season for Los Angeles, Bryant returned as he aims to get into a rhythm before the playoffs begin.

Bryant wore a black sock over his lower left leg, with a padded sleeve protecting the injured area. While the Spurs said after the game that he's not the old Bryant just yet, he's not so sure.

"I'm back now," Bryant said. "It took me a half. The second half, it felt like I was back in a good rhythm. The game just got away from us."

The Spurs (46-16) won their sixth straight game and remain a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City for the No. 1 seed in the West. The Lakers (40-24) missed a chance to clinch home court in the first round of the playoffs.

These teams could meet in the opening round, and judging by their latest meeting, it would be a mismatch.

San Antonio has given Los Angeles its two worst losses of the season, Friday night and 112-91 on Tuesday. Duncan had 21 points and eight rebounds, Parker had 20 points and 10 assists, and Ginobili added 20 points and seven assists on Friday.

San Antonio broke the game open in the third quarter, when Bryant played his best. The Lakers' star hit 5 of 6 shots in the quarter, directing his teammates on offense and yelling at them to "D-up" on defense.

It hardly mattered, though, as he was repeatedly on his heels on defense as the Spurs pushed the ball. San Antonio outscored Los Angeles 35-21 in the quarter.

"They did a great job spacing the floor," Bryant said. "As a result, our defense was always late. It was always playing catch up on possessions. They did a great job shooting the ball. They did a great job on close outs. They played extremely well."

While Bryant was sidelined, several Lakers increased their scoring, none more than Metta World Peace. World Peace more than doubled his scoring average with Bryant out of the lineup, but he had only 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting against the Spurs.

Andrew Bynum scored 17 points for the Lakers, while Matt Barnes had 14 and Pau Gasol 11.

The Lakers have little time to transition Bryant back into the system before the postseason, but Parker has been around long enough to expect the best from him.

"Yeah, he looked a little bit rusty," Parker said. "It's going to take some time. But I'm not worried about him. He'll be ready when the playoffs start."

Bryant isn't worried facing the Spurs in the playoffs, despite the recent blowouts.

"Nah, listen. This team, (coach Gregg) Popovich, the experience that they have, the adjustments that they make, it is going to happen every now and then," Bryant said. "But you have to make adjustments. If we're fortunate to see them in the postseason, we'll make our adjustments defensively."

Kawhi Leonard, a rookie who was drafted largely for his defensive ability, started the game guarding Bryant. Popovich said before the game that it was time for his young players to see "the real thing." Bryant quickly gave Leonard a taste, taking him down low and burying a shot over him while getting fouled. Bryant hit the ensuing free throw, but he didn't score again until he hit a 15-foot jumper with 34 seconds left in the quarter.

"He did well," Duncan said of Leonard. "It's a learning process obviously, and Kobe got him with some vintage stuff and some and-ones. But Kawhi is a quick learner, very long and a very good defender. If we have to see him again, I think the experience is great for him."

Notes: Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong sat courtside for the game. . The Spurs hit 10 of 15 3-pointers for a season-high 66.7 percent. . Lakers G Devin Ebanks, who started with Bryant out, played only 8 minutes and didn't score. . Spurs C Tiago Splitter started and DeJuan Blair came off the bench against the tall Lakers' frontline. Splitter is 6-foot-11, and Blair is 6-7. . With Magic C Dwight Howard possibly out for the Summer Olympics after electing to have back surgery, Bynum looks like a possible replacement. "It's the same thing for any coach who has a player playing," Brown said. "`Rest, rest, rest.' You worry about the injuries, but at the end of the day, it's a significant honor."

Notebook: Spurs 121, Lakers 97

Posted Saturday April 21, 2012 1:15AM

By Tim Price, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Lakers were 5-2 while Kobe Bryant took the last seven games to get over a bruised shin, and it looks like it will take some time to get used to the NBA's leading scorer being back on the floor. Playing in his first game back after the injury, Bryant played 30 minutes and scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. But the Spurs trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker combined for 61 points, and San Antonio beat the Lakers for the second time in five days in a 121-97 decision on Friday at AT&T Center.

The Spurs (46-16) were led by Duncan's 21 points (10-of-15 shooting), Parker's 20 (he also had 10 assists) and Ginobili (20 points in 25 minutes). San Antonio shot 61 percent.

L.A. (40-24) got moderate production beyond Bryant's 18. Andrew Bynum scored 17, but he averaged 23.1 points per game while Bryant was out. Pau Gasol scored 11 tonight compared to 21 while Bryant was out.

QUOTABLE: "I feel great. I feel healthy. I feel fresh. It took me a half, but in the second half I felt like I was back in the rhythm. The Spurs made their adjustments between the first game and the last two (between the two teams). They spread the floor and they knocked down shots. When they spread the floor, you're constantly behind the play. If we're fortunate enough to see them in the postseason, we'll make our adjustments. In the first game, Andrew (Bynum, who had 30 rebounds in that game) was around the rim. But the Spurs didn't have him around the rim in this game. They had him out on the perimeter, and they got him helping out on screen and rolls and he's not in position to get the rebound."
-- Kobe Bryant

THE STAT: Two. That was the number of rebounds Bynum had tonight, which was 28 fewer than the career-best 30 he pulled down without Bryant on the floor when these two teams played for the first time this season 10 days ago and L.A. won 98-84 in San Antonio.

TURNING POINT: The Lakers trailed by two 30 seconds into the second half and still were down single digits, 73-65, with 5:44 to go in the third quarter following Gasol's dunk and a Gregg Popovich timeout. But the Spurs scored the next 11 points and led 84-65. Ginobili had the final five points of the run, including three on free throws when he was fouled shooting past the 3-point line by Bryant.

QUOTABLE II: "[Kobe] did as good as anybody could do. He's not Kobe yet. He's still got some rust on him. You can see that. He'll be a lot more ready as we get closer to the playoffs, that's for sure. So we caught a little bit of a break there."
-- Gregg Popovich

HOT: The Spurs scored on 10-of-13 fastbreak opportunities (Los Angeles 2-of-6). The last three games San Antonio has gone 25-of-31 on the break.

NOT: Ramon Sessions has been listed in the pregame injury report with a left shoulder sprain, though Sessions said it's not the reason he came into this game having played only 25 minutes in either of his two previous games. But something appears to not be right with the Lakers starting point guard because he's gone 5-for-17 in the past two games and did not play the entire third quarter when San Antonio broke the game open by outscoring L.A. 35-21.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: The last two times Parker has played the Lakers he has averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner who has a home in Austin, tweeted @lancearmstrong that he was at the game: "Sitting court-side with @lukearmstrong for the #spurs vs. #lakers. These boys are big, fast, and physical. #gospurs" ...

GOOD MOVE: Bryant played all 12 minutes of the first quarter and got back in the feel of the game as quickly as possible after missing those previous seven contests. At one point in the third quarter he pump faked and got rookie defender Kawhi Leonard in the air, made the basket and drew the foul. The Spurs had to pull Leonard, who they are grooming as a Bruce Bowen-type defender.

BAD MOVE: With Sessions' play inconsistent, and that he four personal fouls in the first half, the Lakers had to go with Steve Blake at point and watch him guard the likes of Parker in the third quarter. Parker scored nine points in the third quarter on 4-for-5 shooting. Ginobili added 10 that included a perfect 5-5 from the foul line, and San Antonio scored nine of its 22 fast-break points for the game in the third.

ROOKIE WATCH: Leonard scored eight points, including a pair of corner 3s. But, guarding Bryant, he picked up four fouls and did not play 20 minutes.

NOTABLE: The Spurs claimed the season series 2-1. ... Not only is the the Spurs' sixth-straight win, it's the fourth time in a row the Spurs have defeated their opponent by 20 points or more. ... San Antonio is 44-0 while holding a halftime lead at home. ... It's the first time Duncan, Ginobili and Parker each have scored at least 20 points in a game since April of last year in a loss at Houston. ... Devin Ebanks started every game Bryant missed during the injury, but he did not play until garbage time in the fourth quarter, missing all three of his shots from the floor.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Sunday vs. Oklahoma City, Thursday @ Sacramento. For the Spurs, Sunday vs. Cleveland, Monday vs. Portland, Wednesday @ Phoenix.

• Lakers: Eyenga
• Spurs: Joseph

• Lakers: --
• Spurs: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #56 Mark Ayotte, #16 David Guthrie
• Attendance: 18581
• Duration: 2:20