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Keys to Beat the Spurs - 01/27/15

By Sam Perley, hornets.com

Tune InThese games can be seen on FOX SportSouth and can be heard on WFNZ or the Official Charlotte Hornets app.

Key Matchup vs. Spurs: Brian Roberts vs. Tony Parker

With Kemba Walker sidelined with a knee injury, the Hornets will once again turn to Brian Roberts to start at point guard as they get set to take on the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. While Roberts has filled in for Walker just three times this season, he is no stranger to the situation as he started 42 games last season for the New Orleans Pelicans, with a large amount coming after Jrue Holiday went down with a season-ending leginjury in Jan. 2014. Roberts led the Hornets with 17 points in their most recent win over the Knicks on Jan. 24 and is averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 assists and connecting on 39.4% of his field-goal attempts in three starts this season, all of which were wins for Charlotte… Roberts is set to square off against veteran Tony Parker who leads one of the best ball-movement teams in the NBA in the San Antonio Spurs. According to the NBA’s SportVU tracking, San Antonio is third in the league in passes per game (349.4) and tied for fourth in the NBA in points created via assists per game (57.5). San Antonio also ranks tied for second in the NBA in secondary assists (passes to a player who then passes it under four seconds and two dribbles to another player who then scores) with7.2, which is further evidence of their tendency to quickly and efficientlymove the ball. Parker is averaging 14.4 points and 4.7 assists and as the starting point guard is considered the primary facilitator of San Antonio’s speedy ball-movement operations… Charlotte’s defense will need to be focused and on its toes to keep up with San Antonio’s fast-paced offense and could be in line for a win if Brian Roberts and the rest of the Hornets can slow down Tony Parker and the pass-happy Spurs. 

Scouting the Hornets (19-26)

The Hornets tallied their ninth win the last 11 games knocking off the New York Knicks at home on Jan. 24, 76-71. Both Charlotte and New York were without their leading scorers as neither Kemba Walker (knee) nor Carmelo Anthony (rest) suited up for the game. Brian Roberts led the way for Charlotte with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists while Cody Zeller chipped in eight points, a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks… Gerald Henderson (14) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (10) also finished in double figures for Charlotte… Al Jefferson came off the bench for the fourth-straight game and finished with nine points, six rebounds and a career-high seven blocks for the Hornets who lost both Bismack Biyombo (knee) and Marvin Williams (head) in the first half to injuries… Gerald Henderson is averaging 14.3 points in the month of January and has scored in double figures in nine of his last 12 games… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging just under a double-double in January with 10.7 points and 9.6 rebounds. Kidd-Gilchrist has reached double figures in either points or rebounds in all but two of Charlotte’s 12 games in January… Cody Zeller is averaging 6.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in his last three games. Zeller also dished out a career-high six assists in a win against the MiamiHeat on Jan. 21… Since returning from a nine-game absence on Jan. 19, Al Jefferson is averaging 12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 24.4 minutes off the bench… Lance Stephenson is averaging 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in six games since returning on Jan. 14 from a 14-game absence because of a hip injury. Stephenson has also recorded a season-high nine assists in two of his last four games… Charlotte has held four of its last five opponents to 80-or-fewer points, including in three-straight games from Jan.17-21 which made them the first team to accomplish this feat since the Brooklyn Nets did so from Mar. 6-9, 2013… The Hornets held 10-straight opponents to under 100 points from Jan. 2-21, which is the longest streak in the NBA this season… Charlotte continues to lead the NBA in offensive rebounds surrendered (8.4), defensive rebounding percentage (79.9%) and fewest turnovers per game (11.0)… The Hornets have held their opponent to six-or-fewer offensive rebounds in 12 of 45 games this season… Bismack Biyombo (knee), Marvin Williams (concussion), Kemba Walker (knee) and Jannero Pargo (back) are all not expected to play against San Antonio on Jan. 28.  

Scouting the Spurs (29-17) 

San Antonio squeezed out a 98-93 win in the first meeting with the Hornets this season on Jan. 14 in Charlotte. Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting for the Spurs while Tim Duncan notched a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Green (18) and Tony Parker (10) also scored in double figures while Cory Joseph led the Spurs with five assists and Matt Bonner blocked a team-high four shots… Kemba Walker recorded his sixth-straight game with at least 28 points leading the Hornets with 28 points, three assists and three blocks. Bismack Biyombo scored 12 points and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds. Cody Zeller chipped in eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Gerald Henderson and P.J. Hairston both finished with 11 points in the loss… Tim Duncan ranks sixth in the NBA in blocks (1.95) and is tied for 10th in double doubles (21)…Duncan is also one of two players in the NBA this season averaging at least 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and three assists (DeMarcus Cousins)… Kawhi Leonard is averaging 16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in six games since returning from a hand injury on Jan. 16 that had him sidelined since Dec. 15. Leonard also recorded a season-high 15 rebounds against Denver on Jan. 20 and matched a season-highwith five assists against Portland on Jan. 16… Manu Ginobili is averaging 12.4 points and a team-high 4.8 assists off the bench this season for the Spurs… Patty Mills is second in the NBA behind Chicago’s Aaron Brooks in three-pointers made off the bench in the month of January (25). Mills missed the first 31 games of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery… The Spurs have had 12 different players lead the team in scoring for at least one game which is the most in the NBA… As of Jan. 23, 15 different Spurs players have scored in double figures which is tied for the most in the NBA with Denver, Minnesota and New York… San Antonio is one of five teams in the NBA (Golden State, Washington, Milwaukee and Atlanta) ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive field goal percentage. The Spurs are connecting on 45.8% of their field-goal attempts while holding opponents to 44.3%.  Both of these categories are tied for ninth in the NBA… Boris Diaw played for Charlotte from 2008-2012… Gary Neal was a member of the San Antonio Spurs from 2010-2013.