Spurs-Nuggets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 18 2012 1:17AM

The road seems to be taking its toll on the San Antonio Spurs.

The Denver Nuggets are trying to prevent that from happening to them.

The Spurs will try to snap a three-game road losing streak Tuesday night when the Nuggets look to build on their best offensive performance of the season.

San Antonio (19-7) opened 11-2 on the road, but the team has dropped its last three away from home after losing 107-93 to league-best Oklahoma City on Monday.

"We had 15 assists in the first half and two in the third quarter and we stopped scoring," coach Gregg Popovich told the league's official website after his team fell to 1-3 since a 10-1 surge.

San Antonio, which last dropped four straight on the road during its 0-5 start to 2011-12, will complete a stretch of six of seven as the visitor Tuesday before opening a four-game homestand Friday versus New Orleans.

The Nuggets (13-12) - the only team in the NBA with more road games (18) than the Spurs - will play their league-low eighth home game before heading to Portland for Thursday's contest.

"It's the worst stretch of travel I've been associated with," coach George Karl said after Denver shot 54.1 percent from the field in Sunday's 122-97 rout at Sacramento.

However, some of the Nuggets are actually embracing this hectic schedule as a stretch of 15 of 18 at home begins on New Year's Day.

"I'm enjoying what we are going through," said Andre Iguodala, who had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on Sunday. "We have a tough schedule and it's a chance for us to build something. We're trying to play at a high level and be mentally tough."

It'll be tough for Denver to extend its home winning streak to five if it plays like it did in a 126-100 loss at San Antonio on Nov. 17. The Nuggets committed 22 turnovers - tied for a season high - in their most lopsided defeat of the season.

San Antonio's Manu Ginobili hit five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points in that contest, but it's uncertain if he'll play Tuesday after missing the loss in Oklahoma City with a bruised left quadriceps suffered in Saturday's 103-88 victory over Boston.

If Ginobili can't go, the Spurs - who are 4-2 in the second half of back-to-backs - could lean even more on Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Both sat out the fourth quarter Monday even after San Antonio trimmed an 18-point deficit in half with less than six minutes left.

Parker and Duncan scored 14 points apiece last month against the Nuggets, while DeJuan Blair finished with a season-high 19.

Blair matched a career high with 28 points in the Spurs' last game in Denver, a 114-99 victory on Feb. 23.

San Antonio has won four of five visiting the Nuggets and eight of 10 in the series.

Gallinari's 28 points lifts Nuggets past Spurs

Posted Dec 19 2012 1:00AM

DENVER (AP) Danilo Gallinari's clutch shooting overshadowed another big night from Tim Duncan.

Gallinari scored a season-high 28 points, outlasting Duncan down the stretch and leading the Denver Nuggets over the San Antonio Spurs 112-106 on Tuesday night.

Duncan had 31 points - also a season best - to go along with 18 rebounds, six assists and five blocks for the Spurs, who closed a 15-point lead to three with 3:38 left before the Nuggets closed it out for their third straight win.

"We lost control of the tempo of the game but thank God we didn't lose the game," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

Lost in the setback was a milestone night for Duncan. The forward from Wake Forest eclipsed the 23,000-point mark for his career with two free throws with 9 minutes left in the third quarter.

He joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history who went to colleges that were in the Atlantic Coast Conference to score at least 23,000 points.

Manu Ginobili scored 16 points for the Spurs, who have lost four of their last five. All four losses have come in both games of back-to-backs including a loss Monday to the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I couldn't be more proud of the effort," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's been a tough month-and-a-half. We asked them to dig down deep and they did."

It took a while but the Spurs did find some rhythm. San Antonio trailed 98-83 before charging back. Patty Mills, who had 15 points, hit two 3-pointers, Duncan scored eight points and Tony Parker hit a 3 to pull the Spurs to 105-102.

Gallinari responded with a 3-pointer from the wing - his second in a span of 1:37 - and Andre Miller hit a floater to stretch the lead to 110-102 a minute later.

"Gallinari just ripped our hearts out with those two 3s," Popovich said. "On the one, Boris (Diaw) contested him better than anybody could possibly contest him and he just drilled that sucker. Making shots at the end of the game often wins games and Gallinari did it."

Two free throws by Duncan and a basket by Ginobili made it 110-106 with 53 seconds left. A turnover by Denver gave the Spurs a chance to get closer but they missed three straight 3-pointers in the final 24 seconds.

Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Denver despite being sick.

"A grind, yes," he said. "Top to bottom grind. I kept fighting, but it was so hard to produce like I could have. Looking at the numbers, everybody would say I did pretty good. Personally, I believe I can do even better if I was healthy."

The Spurs trailed 82-69 late in the third quarter when they started fouling JaVale McGee to put him on the line. The strategy appeared to pay off when McGee made just 2 of 8 free throws but San Antonio missed five shots and Denver was able to take a 90-75 lead into the fourth.

"We were playing so well at that time I think it was a momentum thing rather than an advantage thing," Karl said. "We stopped running and stopped getting into the open court."

McGee wasn't bothered by strategy.

"I didn't feel anything about it I just felt I should have hit my free throws," he said. "If I would have made my free throws we probably would have had to close the game."

Faried opened the second half with a three-point play, Gallinari drained a long 3-pointer and Lawson hit a 16-footer to put Denver up 63-50. The lead grew to 17 on a steal and layup by Ty Lawson midway through the third.

The Nuggets used an 11-4 run to close out the first half and take a 55-48 lead at the break. Gallinari had 11 points and Faried and Corey Brewer had 10 each to pace Denver in the first half.

The Nuggets could have enjoyed a bigger lead but 10 turnovers led to 10 points for San Antonio. The Spurs were also 6 for 12 from 3-point range in the first half.

Duncan led the Spurs with 13 points and was a rebound shy of having a double-double in the first half.

NOTES: Kosta Koufas tied a career high with 14 rebounds. ... The Spurs and Nuggets have played a combined 35 road games and 18 home games so far this season. ... Duncan's double-double was his 14th of the season. ... Nuggets F Anthony Randolph was inactive with a sinus infection.

Notebook: Nuggets 112, Spurs 106

Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:09 AM - Updated Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:09 AM

THE FACTS: Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 28 points, including two 3-pointers in the final five minutes, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a big night from veteran Tim Duncan to beat the San Antonio Spurs 112-106 on Tuesday night.

Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Corey Brewer had 16 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who won for the third straight time.

Duncan had a season-high 31 points to go with his 18 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots for the Spurs, who have lost four of five. Manu Ginobili returned from a one-game absence to score 16 for San Antonio.

The Spurs trailed 98-83 early in the fourth before going on a 12-2 run to pull within five. Tony Parker's 3 with 3:38 left made it 103-100 before Gallinari came through with a clutch 3 from the wing.

QUOTABLE: "Gallinari just ripped our hearts out with those two 3s. On the one, Boris [Diaw] contested him better than anybody could possibly contest him and he just drilled that sucker. Making shots at the end of the game often wins games and Gallinari did it."
-- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

THE STAT: Duncan reached 23,000 points for his NBA career with two free throws early in the third quarter. Duncan, out of Wake Forest, joins Michael Jordan as the only two players in NBA history from the ACC to score at least 23,000 points in their career.

TURNING POINT: After the Spurs cut Denver's 15-point fourth-quarter lead to three, Gallinari launched a 3-pointer from the wing to stretch it to 108-102 with 3:15 left. After a Duncan turnover, Andre Miller hit a floater to give Denver a 110-102 lead with 2:36 left.

QUOTABLE II: "With the team we have we can have a different protagonist every game. Tonight it was me, maybe the next night it will be someone else. I was happy to knock down those shots."
-- Danilo Gallinari

HOT: Patty Mills was nearly the hero instead of Gallinari. The little-known guard out of Australia hit 5-for-8 3-pointers, including four in the second half. His 25-footer with 5:54 left brought the Spurs within five. He finished with 15 points.

HOT II: Despite playing with a cold/flu and spending his time on the bench trying to find energy, Faried notched his 11th double-double of the season and 23rd of his career.

NOT: Danny Green struggled from the field, going 1-for-8 from 3-point range and 1-for-10 overall.

GOOD MOVE: Kosta Koufas drew the main assignment on Duncan, and while the veteran got his points the rest of the Spurs' frontcourt was neutralized.

QUOTABLE III: "I don't care, I just show up. They play me however much they want to play me."
-- Tim Duncan, on logging 40 minutes on the second game of a back-to-back.

BAD MOVE: The Spurs employed a hack-a-JaVale McGee strategy late in the third quarter to good results. Trailing 82-69, they fouled McGee on four possessions and the 7-footer went just 2-for-8 in that span. The Spurs cut the lead to 10 but they missed five shots in the last 2:32 of the third and Denver led 90-75 heading into the fourth.

QUOTABLE IV: "They were scoring every time. We were running out of gas, running out of energy, so we figured if we could go up and down a few times and not have to play any defense that might put some fuel back in the tank."
-- Gregg Popovich, on fouling McGee.

NOTABLE: Duncan's double-double was his 14th of the season. ... Koufas had a career-high 14 rebounds and had four blocked shots. ... Brewer has scored 14 or more points in seven of the last nine games. He is averaging 14.8 points in that span.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Friday vs. New Orleans, Sunday vs. Dallas, Wednesday vs. Toronto. For the Nuggets, Thursday @ Portland, Saturday vs. Charlotte, Tuesday @ L.A. Clippers.

• Spurs: Joseph, Leonard
• Nuggets: Chandler, Randolph

• Spurs: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 12

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #59 Gary Zielinski, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 17092
• Duration: 2:13