By Kyle Soppe
What a difference a day makes for the Spurs. After they were completely beat down by Portland, San Antonio returned Tony Parker and Tim Duncan to their lineup, and it paid immediate dividends in a 114-99 win. As a dark horse MVP candidate, Parker led the Spurs in an amazingly efficient first half. He dished out seven of the visitors 19 assists, as the Spurs registered an assist on 76% of their first half buckets. While Parker was orchestrating the offense, the all time great Duncan cleared the boards at a rate he did when he was in his prime. Duncan snagged eight first half rebounds, more than any two Nuggets combined. Both studs were +21 in a first half in which the Spurs led 65-39.
That first half wasn’t short on mismatching statistics, as the Nuggets starting front contributed a single basket and no free throws. The Spurs starting front court recorded 32 points, led by DeJaun Blair’s 16. They scored those 32 points on only 22 shots.
The second half belonged to the home team, but it wasn’t enough. The Nuggets outscored the Spurs by a point in the games final 36 minutes, but managed to lose.
Winning on the road hasn’t been easy for San Antonio, as 90% of their losses have come away from home.
When I think of the Spurs, I think of players with well defined roles. Never was that more evident from Richard Jefferson and Matt Bonner last night, as the duo connected on 9/15 three pointers. They combined to attempt only one two pointer, a missed mid range jumper from Jefferson. Their 27 points from behind the arc outscored all of the Nuggets by six points.
The Spurs have now won 12 in a row in which Duncan and Parker play. This was the forth consecutive game for Parker with a double-double, giving him six for the season. His two made threes tied a season high, and were his first buckets from deep since January 29th.
Duncan managed only one rebound in the second half, leaving him with three single digit rebound games in his last four. He has been distributing the ball a bit better of late, as his averages 2.8 assists per game for the season, but has gone over that number in five of his past six.
DeJaun Blair had a monster game, but his plus/minus ratio continues to be an enigma. He was only +3 in his 35 minutes of action, despite tallying season highs in points (28) and boards (12). His four made free throws were more than he made in his previous eight games combined. It was Blair’s fifth double double-double of the season, with the Spurs winning all but one of those games.
Julyan Stone, a rookie from Texas-El Paso, recorded career highs in points (9) and assists (7) for the Nuggets. He also matched his career total of four made throws in his 21 minutes of action on Thursday.
Eight of the games 10 starters scored at least 16 points (all five Spurs and three Nuggets).
Corey Brewer scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, but his Nuggets are only 1-4 over that span.
Andre Miller scored 20+ points for the fourth time this year, and his team came out on the wrong end for the third time. The Nuggets typically fair much better when he is passing the ball well, as they fell to 10-7 when he hands out at least seven dimes.
Jordan Hamilton did some good things against the Spurs, but his shooting will get the most notice. He missed all seven of his attempts, including five misfires from deep, but he did manage to grab a career high nine rebounds and his two assists were also a personal best. He has played 51 minutes in the last two games, more than his career minutes played previously. The production will come with experience, I’ve got faith in the youngster from Texas.
Enjoy the All Star festivities in Orlando over the next few days, as Box Score Breakdowns will resume on Tuesday with a nine game NBA slate.
Popovic is a master. The Spurs have ten guys averaging 20+ minutes. Nobody plays more than 34 per game. He is taking a team that is considered aging and will have them ready for the playoffs. I forgot the Spurs drafted Kawhi Leonard. That was a great pick.