Jazz vs Spurs - 11/5 - 8:30 pm CST
 

Spurs-Jazz Preview
By MATT BEARDMORE,
STATS Writer


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(AP) -- San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has admittedly lost a step, but he can still find ways to help the team. No matter how unconventional those ways can be.

Ginobili and the well-rested Spurs open a two-game trip Thursday night at EnergySolutions Arena, where they'll face a Utah Jazz team off to its worst start in seven seasons.

After missing 38 games and the playoffs in 2008-09 due to ankle injuries, Ginobili has played well coming off the Spurs' bench this season, averaging 13.7 points and 3.7 assists.

He had 13 points in Saturday's 113-94 victory over Sacramento, but received his loudest cheers from the San Antonio crowd when he swatted a bat out of the air with his bare hand in the first quarter, before scooping it off the court so play could resume.

"When you can't dunk anymore, you have to find a way to make it into the news," said Ginobili, who posted a message on his Facebook page Monday saying he had to be vaccinated for rabies. "So that's what I did. I grabbed a bat. I didn't think it was a big deal."

The Spurs (2-1) didn't feel that way about Ginobili's clutch performance in their last game in Utah - a 106-100 victory on Jan. 27.

Ginobili scored 10 of his 13 in the fourth quarter, including a 6-of-6 effort at the foul line in the final 24 seconds, as San Antonio snapped a four-game slide in Salt Lake City.

"Until that horn goes off, you're worried about whatever may happen," Tim Duncan said after scoring 24 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in the Spurs' first victory in Utah since April 4, 2006. "Luckily enough, Manu was great down the stretch hitting free throws and giving us the lead we needed."

Utah (1-3) felt its 16-point fourth-quarter lead against Dallas on Tuesday was enough, but the Jazz collapsed in the final 8-plus minutes and lost 96-85.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 of his 40 points in the fourth - many against Mehmet Okur, who was forced into the difficult defensive assignment with Carlos Boozer playing with five fouls.

"Obviously, there wasn't anything we were able to do with Nowitzki," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose club looks to avoid its slowest start since opening 1-4 in 2002-03. "He was sensational. He made every basket and got to the free throw line, but the most important thing he did was he was able to take the ball to the basket."

Jazz point guard Deron Williams, who leads the team with 22.3 points per game and 8.8 assists, averaged 22.0 and 11.5 in two games versus the Spurs last season. Williams missed the 119-94 loss in San Antonio on Nov. 21 with a left ankle injury.

Spurs guard Tony Parker was also sidelined in that game due to an injured ankle. In the final two matchups with Utah last season, Parker averaged 27.5 points and 6.5 assists as San Antonio swept the season series for the first time since 2005-06.

First-year Spur Richard Jefferson, acquired from Milwaukee in the offseason, hit 7 of 8 shots and scored a season-high 21 on Saturday.

He is averaging 21.7 points in six career games in Utah.

The Spurs have won four straight and 29 of 35 against the Jazz.



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Finally, It feels like a month since they last played! :spurs

I totally agree with you here. FINALLY our Spurs are back to work :p

Man those NBA schedulers....:rolleyes

Now our Spurs have a back to back and it is both late games...

OKAY I think Spurs will lose the second game and win the first game. Just a hunch. Pop only plays his starters on the first game. Thus: SPURS WIN IN UTAH. Spurs win close one IMO.
NAIL BITER!!

SPURS 99
JAZZ 96

Go SPURS Go :rock

i agree, seems like forever!!

Jazz aren't playing very good right now and the Spurs have had a lot of time to rest. Advantage.....SPURS. I think they win easily.

Spurs 106

Jazz 92

Jazz always play best at home...could be close.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day
NBA.com - Referee Assignments
Referee Assignments
Nov 5, 2009
San Antonio @ Utah--Scott Foster, Leon Wood, Sean Wright

This is the same crew that called the Bulls game on 29 Oct

GSG!

:banghead

:sick :sick

Not a good start. Offense looks stagnant and defense looks lost.

Once again, Finley does next to nothing defensively out there. It amazes me why Pop starts him when the guy he guards constantly goes by him.

They need to start Mason.

F%^&** Utah looks like a world beater and Spurs are rusty so far.

End of 1st Q
Spurs 22
Jazz 32 :(

Good job Pop putting Blair in.
Ginobili with a basket at the end was nice.

Pop just said in the interview that Jazz are playing MORE PHYSICAL.

Dam right Pop..:(

I knew it Jazz usually get up to Spurs at home real well..

I am not sure Mason should start but I am pretty sure Bonner should not start vs. physical team.

It is all a matter of establishing the team and the power. Bonner is WEAK and we need to start either Dyce or even BLAIR IMO.

It looks like this UTAH ARENA is one the FREAKING LOUDEST arenas in the NBA...

LOUD Arena + Rusty Spurs + Jazz are bringing it = Spurs Beaten by 13 so far

SA 29
Utah 42
with 7:32 left in the second Q

The only way to solve this is by Tony penetrating and Manu attacking the basket too.

Spurs Need to ATTACK the basket more aggressively. And be more aggressive on the D.

Good Job Tony! :thumb

FNALLY!!

This game is over. Can't stop anyone in the paint. Spurs making Okur look like an All-Star.

Rest the starters -- try again tomorrow night in Portland.

So,...When do the Spurs play again? Because they sure aren't playing tonight.

McDyess is sucking really bad right now. Where's Manu? I thought he said these early games were really important this year.

Good god Manu is building a house tonight in Utah

I'm not too worried. Spurs just gotta wake up for the second half. Utah hasn't been a great second half team so far. If the Spurs don't bring it right off the bat in the second half the game will be over.

No pun intended?

This doesn't look good. Spurs upcoming schedule.

Fri Nov 6 @ POR
Mon Nov 9 v TOR
Wed Nov 11 v DAL
Sat Nov 14 v OKC
Wed Nov 18 @ DAL
Thu Nov 19 v UTA
Sat Nov 21 v WAS

We could be in a deep hole by Thanksgiving and Finley and Bonner will still be in the starting lineup.

80-67 in favor of the Jazz....where's the team that crushed the Hornets?

When all your guys play like crap, that is what happens.

We have the talent but there is no chemistry yet on either side. An offensive player makes a good move only to have another guy crowding him and the defense recovers. Or a defensive guy makes a good rotation only to for the other guy to fail to rotate and the Jazz get a wide open shot.

Dyce sure does look old...hes hasn't shown much these first 4 games. Finley and Bonner should not be starting. Spurs don't watch it tomorrow, Portland will run them off the court.

That had to be the most pathetic display of defense by a Spurs team in a long time.

Well, that sucked.

no big deal. they'r just tired from teh back=to=back.

oh wait, NO, this is the first game, after a vacation and ample time practicing and learning more of the system.

Get Blair on the floor . and let him play. start him!

McDyess doesn't know wtf is going on out there... he's jst senile!

have Duncan and Blair play together so we can establish some long needed low post dominance again. no rebound will be left unrebounded!

Blair jst sits there and puts back every miss,... why would u not want to play him Pop?

and he says he wants to watch minutes, but he plays duncan 30 minutes jst to lose?

Lots of rest is also bad. Just as bad as 4 games in 5 nights, especially when the team is not fully in sync.

Good catch!

Well you got the margin right.

Oh well..

- Link

I've captured the game on my media PC since I was out about for the second half. Now I'm not even sure if I want to watch it...

Forget about that F Ugly lose to UTAH. It was real bad but hey it ended and we need to look forward.

Let's hope that would be a wake up call for the Da Spurs and they start LEARN to play as a team and stop UNDERESTIMATING how powerful other NBA teams are.

All NBA teams especially the WEST are gearing up to compete. Spurs MUST learn to compete and survive.

I expect the Sprus to establish some sort of rhythm and start focusing and playing more aggressively on the Deffensive end and more organized Offense.

Let's hope some sort of CHEMISTRY will start happening for the Spurs when they play Portland tonight.

Go Spurs Go :D

:laugh

Aw, come on, gang, it's just an ugly belch on the road to the playoffs...

Two ugly belch in four games.