Spurs-Celtics Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Nov 20 2012 3:47PM

The San Antonio Spurs are looking very thin on their front line after another key injury.

They'll begin a six-game road trip Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, who should be in considerably better shape after finishing a grueling stretch of schedule.

San Antonio's 92-87 loss to the Clippers on Monday completed a 1-2 homestand. The Spurs fell in heartbreaking fashion on Chris Paul's short jumper 24.7 seconds left, and suffered another loss with an injury to Stephen Jackson.

The veteran incurred a non-displaced fracture to his right pinkie finger and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Jackson, averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, was starting his second game with fellow forward Kawhi Leonard already sidelined.

Leonard's 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds have been missed for two games, too, as he's dealing with quadriceps tendinitis in his left knee.

The absence of Jackson's gritty style was apparent after he departed in the first quarter, as the Spurs' minus-10 rebounding deficit was tied for their second worst of the season.

"Of all our games, this game was in the soft category," coach Gregg Popovich said. "We never had five guys that competed hard enough to win the basketball game. The Clippers took it with their aggressiveness and their toughness, both mentally and physically. For a portion of that game, we were an embarrassment."

Popovich said the team will likely activate second-year guard Cory Joseph to fill Jackson's spot. Joseph averaged 2.0 points while playing in 29 games last season.

Jackson's absence could put even more weight on the shoulders of Tim Duncan, who's off to a good start with 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.

Boston (6-4) fell 103-83 on the road to 2-9 Detroit on Sunday, its fourth game in five nights and seventh in 10 days.

The weary Celtics went 4 of 17 from 3-point range and missed 12 of their first 16 shots in the second quarter after leading 25-23 after the first period.

"We can't use the schedule as an excuse - this is the NBA and you have to play stretches like this," forward Kevin Garnett said. "But when you see as many shots hit the front of the rim as we had tonight, you know that you don't have your legs."

Rajon Rondo had 10 assists to extend his streak of games with double-digit assists to 34, the third longest such stretch in NBA history behind John Stockton (37) and Magic Johnson (46).

"I don't really think that much about the streak, but I know that down the road, it will be something that I'm very proud I accomplished," Rondo said.

Rondo, averaging an NBA- and career-high 13.1 assists, recorded the second-highest assist total of his career with 23 against San Antonio in a 105-103 victory Jan. 5, 2011.

Boston has taken seven of the last 10 games in the series, though the Spurs won the only matchup in Boston last season 87-86, with Paul Pierce missing a jumper at the buzzer.

Parker, Duncan carry Spurs past Celtics, 112-100

By KEN POWTAK
Posted Nov 22 2012 1:19AM

BOSTON (AP) San Antonio's Tony Parker went from a proficient point guard to a prolific scorer to outduel Boston's Rajon Rondo.

In a battle of two of the league's elite point guards, Parker scored a season-high 26 points and chipped in six assists to carry the Spurs to a 112-100 victory over the defensively challenged Celtics on Wednesday night.

Parker knew he'd need to elevate his play against Rondo.

"Definitely. It's always a good challenge," Parker said. "Rondo is one of the best in the NBA and every time you play one of the best, you want to be aggressive. Rondo had a great game, too, so it was a good battle of point guards."

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and reserve Tiago Splitter added a season-high 23 points, many coming when the Spurs took charge late in the third and early in the fourth.

Duncan could see that Parker was looking to score more.

"He's been missing a lot of shots that he usually makes and he just made them tonight and that was kind of the difference," he said. "He made his floaters, he made his in-betweens and that opened up the floor for a lot of us. More than just being aggressive, I think he's just kind of trying to get his shot back and trying to feel good about it."

Rondo had 22 points and extended his consecutive streak of double-digit assist games to 35 with 15. Paul Pierce, who sprained his ankle in a 20-point loss at Detroit on Sunday, had 19 points.

It was the fourth straight game Boston (6-6) has allowed over 100 points.

"We shot 53 percent and the reason we were there is because our offense allowed us to stay there," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "But to me, that was fools' gold because the way we were playing defense, you're not going to get a stop, you're not going to win a game."

DeJuan Blair chipped in with 12 points for the Spurs (9-3), but it was Parker's play that led to the win.

"This was his best game in a while," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He hasn't really scored, he hasn't been aggressive for whatever reason. He's known it and he's tried to work through it and put a finger on it, but tonight he played a complete game."

Brandon Bass scored 16 and Kevin Garnett 14 for the Celtics, who managed just one offensive rebound and lost for the third time in four games.

Boston hopes to get its defense fixed before it faces Oklahoma City, another Western Conference power, at home on Friday, and Garnett knows the team's defensive reputation has taken a hit.

"It damages it a little bit. But you know what? It's not going to be the first time," he said. "Good offenses always get the best of a better defense, I feel."

The Spurs closed the third quarter with a 6-0 run, with Splitter getting a pair of baskets, to take an 82-74 lead.

They opened the fourth by scoring eight of the initial 10 points to open their biggest lead at that point, 90-76 on Splitter's three-point play with just under 10 minutes to play.

Splitter's two free throws increased it to 94-78 with 8:41 to go.

Boston closed the gap to nine, but the Spurs had a pair of easy driving baskets by Parker to maintain a comfortable margin.

That was until Rondo answered with a long jumper from the right corner off his own steal and a spinning bank shot, closing it to 104-98 with 3:17 left.

But that was as close as Boston would get.

Duncan had five points during a 9-0 spree that gave the Spurs a 69-60 edge midway into the third quarter. Boston then scored seven of the next nine, closing it to two on Pierce's 3 from the right wing.

Rondo was responsible either with an assist, basket or pass for all the Celtics' 23 points in the opening 8 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. He had eight assists, two baskets and fed Pierce, who got fouled in the lane before hitting two free throws.

In the quarter, the Celtics' playmaker had eight assists and two baskets - accounting for all but one of Boston's buckets - Jeff Green's drive.

In the first half, Parker dominated Rondo, scoring 15 on 7 for 10 shooting.

Neither team held more than a four-point lead until the Spurs scored 14 of the final 20 points in the first half to take a 56-48 edge into the break. Danny Green nailed a 3-pointer in the middle of the streak, giving him 30 straight games with at least one 3, the league's longest current streak.

NOTES: Rivers was asked before the game to compare the play of longtime stars Garnett, known for showing emotion, and the usually fairly stoic Duncan. "They're both extremely tough and extremely motivated. It's amazing how similar they are and how different they act." ... Rivers also commented on Parker and Rondo before tip-off. "They're both terrific," he said. "It's amazing how many good point guards there are in the league right now and you have to prepare for every one differently. It's a good time in the league now for that position." ... The Spurs won the only meeting last season - 87-86 when Pierce missed a shot at the buzzer on an isolation over Duncan. ... San Antonio played the first of a six-game road trip, which closes next Thursday in Miami.

Notebook: Spurs 112, Celtics 100

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:12 PM - Updated Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:12 PM

THE FACTS: Tony Parker posted a season-high 26 points as the San Antonio Spurs cruised behind a superb offensive effort to a 112-100 win over the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Tim Duncan added 20 points and 15 rebounds, as the Spurs imposed their will against an overmatched Boston defense, shooting a season-high 58.4 percent from the field, the highest number Boston has allowed to an opponent since 2007. Rajon Rondo kept the Celtics within striking distance by scoring 18 of his 22 points in the second half, but the All-Star point guard and his teammates could not keep pace with the Spurs late, as they pulled away for the 12-point win.

QUOTABLE: "That was his best game in a while. He hasn't really scored, he hasn't been aggressive for whatever reason. He's known it and he's tried to work through it, but tonight he played a complete game." -- San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich on Parker.

THE STAT: The Celtics were unable to corral an offensive rebound over the first 46 minutes of the contest, finishing with just one in the defeat. The Spurs remain the only team over the past 25 years to finish a game without an offensive rebound, finishing with zero against the Jazz back in 2002.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by double digits for much of the fourth quarter, Boston's starters made one final push behind Rondo over the final six minutes of the game, cutting a 14-point lead to six with three minutes remaining. With the stakes high, Gregg Popovich turned to Duncan out of a timeout and the veteran delivered, hitting a post up to push the lead back to eight for the Spurs. The Celtics got no closer the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "We've got to do our [defensive] coverages better. Playing harder and all that sounds great. Well, we've got to play smarter." -- Boston coach Doc Rivers.

HOT: Tiago Splitter -- The reserve center was perfect in the second half, going 7-of-7 from field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, scoring 19 of his season-high 23 points after intermission.

NOT: Jeff Green -- After a breakout night last Wednesday against Utah, the hybrid forward has regressed back to inconsistent performances over the past week. Another one came Wednesday night as Green finished the loss with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting and zero rebounds over 15 minutes of action.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Duncan -- The big man bested Kevin Garnett in his head-to-head matchup and has shown no signs of slowing down in his 16th NBA season. With tonight's effort, Duncan is averaging 18.2 points and 10.4 rebounds a contest, his best numbers in both categories since the 2009-10 NBA season.

QUOTABLE III: "It's been a weakness for us all season long and we're trying to focus on it a little more. We did a nice job keeping them off the glass." -- Duncan.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger. With Chris Wilcox battling foul trouble most of the night, Sullinger saw plenty of work off the bench, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

NOTABLE: The Celtics announced prior to the game that they have waived reserve center Darko Milicic. "Darko has asked us to release him so he could deal with a personal matter," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge announced in a press release. "The whole Celtics family wishes Darko and his family well."...Rondo had his 35th consecutive game with 10 or more assists. James Anderson was in uniform for San Antonio after the team signed him Tuesday for additional depth at the small forward spot, with Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Stephen Jackson (pinky) both expected to miss at least the next couple weeks of action...The Spurs also recalled Cory Joseph from the D-League prior to the game as well...San Antonio outscored Boston 48-34 in the paint....The road team has won 10 of the past 12 matchups in this series...Popovich was whistled for a technical foul with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter...Danny Green has now made a 3-pointer in 30 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA.

UP NEXT: For San Antonio: Friday @ Indiana, Sunday @ Toronto, Monday @ Utah. For Boston: Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Sunday @ Orlando, Wednesday vs. Brooklyn.

• Spurs: Jackson, Leonard
• Celtics: Joseph, Melo

• Spurs: Popovich
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #29 Mark Lindsay, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:03