Lakers-Spurs Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Jan 09 2013 12:55AM

While Metta World Peace tried to do his part, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't overcome the loss of three frontcourt players, including a pair of All-Stars, during their opener to a brief road trip through Texas.

The Lakers will attempt to end that two-game trek on a more positive note Wednesday night but have the daunting task of trying to snap the San Antonio Spurs' 10-game home win streak.

Dwight Howard (shoulder), Pau Gasol (concussion) and reserve Jordan Hill (hip) are out indefinitely for Los Angeles (15-19), and Gasol is expected to be re-evaluated Thursday. Even without those players, the Lakers were competitive for much of their visit to Houston on Tuesday, leading by 14 points in the first quarter, but ultimately couldn't keep up with one of the league's top scoring teams, falling 125-112 for a fourth straight defeat.

World Peace had a season-high 24 points but Kobe Bryant failed to top 25 for the first time in 18 games, finishing with 20 on 8-of-22 shooting.

"I thought we had the better team," World Peace said. "We definitely had the better team, but every night we have the better team and it's just not translating to wins.

"We've just got to move forward. We don't have time to feel bad for anyone."

The Lakers' chances to end their brief trip with a win don't appear promising against the Southwest Division-leading Spurs (27-10). San Antonio, though, has lost two of three after winning a season-high seven in a row and fell 95-88 in a visit to the Western Conference's last-place team, New Orleans, on Monday.

The Spurs were hindered by 19 turnovers, which led to 23 points for the Hornets, and a 5-of-14 shooting performance from Tim Duncan. He had 13 points while Tony Parker was the only starter to outscore him with 16. Manu Ginobili had a team-best 21 points off the bench.

"We played a well-coached, aggressive, well-executing team," coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a great job at both ends of the court. They just whipped us."

The Spurs, though, will try to get back in the win column and extend their longest home streak since a franchise-record, 22-game run Dec. 3, 2010-March 4, 2011. San Antonio has won three in a row over Los Angeles, including an 84-82 road victory Nov. 13.

Danny Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left in that game, but the Spurs won more comfortably during the most recent matchup in San Antonio on April 20. Duncan had 21 points, and Parker and Ginobili scored 20 apiece in a 121-97 victory.

"(Playing the Lakers) is always a good test," Ginobili said. "They've got heart. They play hard. We now need that win. We want to keep that (home) win streak going, but we have to play better."

The Lakers have won in two of its past three visits to San Antonio and World Peace had a team-best 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the latest of those victories, 98-84 on April 11.

Bryant was held out of that game because of an injured left shin. He had 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the loss to San Antonio in November. The Spurs shot just 38.9 percent in that game and had three players in double figures, led by Parker with 19 points and Duncan with 18.

The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011.

Parker scores 24 as Spurs beat slumping Lakers

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Posted Jan 10 2013 12:23AM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Not even a hard-fought loss against a longtime rival did little to brighten the mood of one of the more tumultuous seasons in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tony Parker scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the slumping Lakers their fifth straight loss with a 108-105 victory Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson had 14 each for San Antonio (28-10), which has won 11 straight at home. Splitter also had a career-high 14 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, Metta World Peace added 23 and Earl Clark 22 for Los Angeles (15-20). Bryant was 10 for 24 from the field, missing a 3-pointer on his final attempt that would have tied the game. Clark missed a follow-up 3 off a long rebound.

What can the Lakers take from such a battle?

"We lost five in a row," Bryant said. "It's pretty self-explanatory."

Coming off a 125-112 loss at Houston on Tuesday, the Lakers fought until the final buzzer.

Bryant's 3-pointer pulled Los Angeles to 105-99 with 3:32 remaining. The 3 led to dueling cries of support between a large contingent of Lakers fans seated near the Los Angeles bench and Spurs fans.

Did the effort give Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni reason to smile?

"No, not really," he said. "I'm proud of their effort. They fought. They fought last night against Houston. You can see the team getting some traction, but we're a long ways away from a smile."

Antawn Jamison's layup pulled the Lakers to 105-102 following a timeout, but Artest missed a layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.

Ginobili hit a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a six-point lead, but Clark responded with his own 3 to close to 108-105, setting up Bryant's final attempt.

The Spurs missed five shots and had four turnovers in the final 5 minutes, turning a 10-point lead into a nail-biting finish for the sell-out crowd.

"We kind of stopped," Ginobili said. "We need rhythm this year. We are getting used to playing faster and we just didn't do it. We were playing one-on-one instead of doing what we do best and that's to penetrate, kick and pass the ball."

Even with Lakers big men Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill out with injuries, the Spurs managed only a 48-40 rebounding advantage. Los Angeles forced 19 turnovers to keep the game close throughout.

Parker's 17-foot jumper gave the Spurs their largest lead at 83-66, but the Lakers quickly pared the 17-point deficit. Artest hit a 3, Bryant made a pair of jumpers and Clark had a 21-foot jumper to pull the Lakers to 83-75 with 49.3 seconds left in the third.

"The closer it gets, the easier it is to focus and be ready," Ginobili said. "Of course, you worry because we were up by 16 and we just messed up the whole game. Like I said before, it was disappointing to see the team play like that, but at least we got the win."

Bryant had a sluggish start offensively and the Lakers fell behind 54-45 at the half.

His first basket came with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter and he closed the half 2 for 6 from the field. Bryant credited his poor shooting to Spurs second-year player Kawhi Leonard.

"It was Kawhi's defense," Bryant said. "He did a good job."

Leonard finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 33 minutes while primarily guarding Bryant and World Peace.

"Kawhi Leonard was the start of the show as far as I'm concerned," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He had a great night and is getting better and better defensively and starting to find his way offensively. I thought that was great."

NOTES: Lakers G Steve Blake (abdominal surgery) missed his 28th game of the season. Howard (shoulder), Gasol (concussion) and Hill (hip) also sat out the game. The Spurs had every player on their current roster active. ... The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011. ... The Lakers are 1-12 when trailing after the first quarter this season. ... The Spurs evened their overall record against the Lakers at 74-all. San Antonio has a 46-29 advantage at home. ... Bryant holds the Spurs opponent record for most field goal attempts - 41 on Feb. 14, 2004.

Notebook: Spurs 108, Lakers 105

Tim Price, For NBA.com
Posted Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:33 AM - Updated Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:33 AM

THE FACTS: Tony Parker scored 24 points and Manu Ginobili added 19, but the Spurs almost blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead as Earl Clark's 3-pointer hit the front of the rim as time expired to leave San Antonio with a 108-105 win over the Lakers on Wednesday at AT&T Center.

The Lakers (15-20) played their second-straight game without All-Stars Dwight Howard (shoulder), Pau Gasol (concussion) and reserve Jordan Hill (hip, back). But with the way Clark played (22 points, 13 rebounds with 9-for-12 shooting) L.A. might be on to something new despite being dealt their fifth-straight loss.

Gasol will be re-evaluated Thursday, but Howard and Hill won't return till next week at the earliest.

The Spurs (28-10) also got 14 points and 14 rebounds from Tiago Splitter, and the team went 12-for-25 (48 percent) from beyond the 3-point line.

QUOTABLE: "We have lost five games in a row, [so] it is pretty self-explanatory. We played very hard and I think we figured a few things out. [Earl Clark] sits right next to me on plane rides, so I talk to him and he always tells me that he is ready to play. He played phenomenal against a heck of a team, so I was very impressed."

-- Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points

THE STAT: The Spurs have committed 39 turnovers the past two games. From the 19 times they turned the ball over tonight, five came in the final 6:15 as L.A. closed the game with a 20-7 run.

TURNING POINT: The Spurs were so sloppy with the ball that sometimes it didn't take much pressure to get them to cough it up. San Antonio led 101-85 with 6:15 to go, but within a minute Gary Neal dribbled the ball off his hand and out of bounds as he was setting up a play. Less than three minutes later, the Lakers had cut the lead to five points.

QUOTABLE II: "I thought we were really raggedy on offense, to the point that I didn't know who was out on the court. I didn't recognize that basketball team. Not sharing the ball the way we should. Taking bad shots. No pace. It was really tough to watch."

-- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

HOT: Clark has played in only 12 games this season with the Lakers, and has been on three teams in four seasons -- shooting a career 38.7 field-goal percentage. His most memorable times in the league have been as a throw-in for blockbuster trades (the Phoenix-Orlando deal involving Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat in 2010 and the move that brought Howard to L.A. this summer). He was 5-for-17 from the floor this season coming in, yet his 9-for-12 showing tonight was part of a career-high night in points, field goals made and rebounds.

NOT: Tim Duncan was 4-for-13 tonight and has gone 9-for-27 the past two games after the previous nine games where he shot no worse than 50 percent in each contest (69-for-121 overall, 57 percent).

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: After averaging 13 points this season, Metta World Peace has scored 24 points and 23 points the past two nights, respectively, with Howard, Gasol and Hill sidelined. Tonight, he also had eight rebounds and seven of the Lakers' 12 steals.

GOOD MOVE: Even with the Spurs best perimeter defender, Kawhi Leonard, matching Bryant by playing all 12 minutes of the third quarter and guarding Bryant, No. 24 found a way to score. He got the ball off all night and put some fight into the Lakers after they struggled offensively in the first half. He took 13 shots -- half of the Lakers attempts that quarter -- and scored 14 points as the Lakers scored 30 in the third and kept the momentum to score another 30 in the fourth (L.A. outscored the Spurs 60-54 after halftime).

BAD MOVE: Stephen Jackson was 3-for-4 on 3s for San Antonio in the fourth quarter, but then he argued two calls in a span of seven seconds and was ejected for the critical final 3 1/2 minutes of the game.

ROOKIE WATCH: Robert Sacre made his third start this week -- one in the D-League and a pair in the last two nights. He had the primary defensive assignment on Duncan, who had eight points (no trips to the foul line) in his lowest-scoring game since December 15. In his past two nights in the big leagues, Sacre had 10 points at Houston and four tonight.

NOTABLE: The Spurs have won 11 in a row at home, but just two seasons ago they had a team record, 22-straight home winning streak. ... The Lakers have lost five in a row for the first time since 2007. ... This is the fourth-straight win in the series for San Antonio, including both games this season. ... There were five technicals called by the crew of Bill Kennedy, Mark Ayotte and Mark Lindsay in the second half.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Sunday vs. Cleveland, Tuesday vs. Milwaukee. For the Spurs, Friday @ Memphis, Sunday vs. Minnesota, Wednesday vs. Memphis.

• Lakers: Blake
• Spurs: Joseph

• Lakers: Bryant, Duhon, Morris
• Spurs: Jackson, Jackson

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #56 Mark Ayotte, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 18581
• Duration: 2:18