San Antonio Spurs Team Report
Posted 9h 22m ago
Panic might be striking at the heart of Spurs fans, but not the Spurs. "If the playoffs started tomorrow, I think we'd be in trouble," forward Tim Duncan said. "But we've got a long way to go."
The Spurs have lost three games in a row and they're just 10 games into the season. They've lost two in a row at home. They're 0-4 on the road.
They're also not themselves.
The Spurs lost to the Jazz on Thursday night, 90-83, in San Antonio for the first time in 20 years. They played without Tony Parker for a fourth time this season, and Manu Ginobili joined him on the bench with a strained groin that could keep him out more than a week.
It could be worse. Somehow, the Spurs rallied twice without Parker or Duncan to post wins. Newcomer Richard Jefferson keyed both wins, but otherwise he has been up and down.
Missing key components is no way to win long term, and the injury-plagued start before Thanksgiving doesn't bode well for the grind that follows Christmas.
"(We have to) worry more about improvement and understanding more than our record," coach Gregg Popovich said. "And we know what our record is."
JAZZ 90, SPURS 83: Utah took control in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Spurs 30-23. The Spurs missed 16-of-20 3-pointers with starters George Hill and Keith Bogans combining to make just one on eight attempts.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and Richard Jefferson scored 16, but Utah's bench, with Paul Millsap (20 points) and Andrei Kirilenko (13), combined to outscore the entire Spurs bench.
NOTES, QUOTES
—The Jazz have snapped two ugly losing streaks to the Spurs. The Spurs, remarkably, had won 18 in a row in the series until the Jazz beat the Spurs in Salt Lake City on Nov. 5. On Thursday, the Jazz's victory ended a 20-game drought in San Antonio, going all the way back to 1999.
—The Spurs dropped to 4-6 after Thursday's home loss to the Jazz, giving four-time champion San Antonio its first losing record after 10 games since 1996.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Like I've said a thousand times, I just hope he's having an off night. I can play perfect defense, contest his shots, jump as high as I possibly can and I'm still not blocking it. I just hope to make it harder for him and just hope he misses." — Forward/center Matt Bonner on trying to guard Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who had 41 points in the Spurs' overtime loss Wednesday.
ROSTER REPORT
ROTATION: Starters — Point guard George Hill, Shooting guard Keith Bogans, Small forward Richard Jefferson, Power forward Tim Duncan, Center Theo Ratliff. Bench — Guard Roger Mason Jr., Guard Michael Finley, Forward Antonio McDyess, Forward DeJuan Blair, Forward Matt Bonner, Guard Malik Hairston.
PLAYER NOTES:
—G Manu Ginobili could miss more than a week with a strained groin after he suffered the injury in the first quarter Wednesday at Dallas. Ginobili left the previous game as a precautionary measure when a hamstring muscle tightened. He said he felt good before taking on the Mavericks. He played less than eight minutes before leaving that game. After further evaluation Thursday, it was determined that Ginobili will miss at least a few games.
—G Keith Bogans was back in the starting lineup at shooting guard Thursday because Manu Ginobili is hurt.
—G Tony Parker missed his fourth of 10 games this season. The eighth-year pro is nursing a sprained ankle that he re-injured in his return Saturday night. He missed Wednesday's overtime loss at Dallas and sat out Thursday's home game against Utah. Parker missed 10 games all of last season and hasn't missed more than 13 games in any season.
—F Michael Finley finished Thursday's game with no points in 23 minutes. He missed all six field-goal attempts, including three from beyond the arc, plus a free throw. The 14-year veteran has managed to score in double figures (twice) as many times as he's been held scoreless this season. That's bad news for the Spurs, especially at a time when they're missing key components and need additional scorers to step up. Finley has averaged 9-10 points in each of his previous four seasons in San Antonio. So far, he's hitting for just 6 a game while averaging a career-low 18.6 minutes.
MEDICAL WATCH:
—G Tony Parker (ankle) is day-to-day.
—G Manu Ginobili (groin) is out at least one week.
San Antonio Spurs Team Report - USATODAY.com