Spurs-Kings Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 28 2012 2:30AM

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili haven't had much playing time together this season, but when the San Antonio Spurs' mainstays all have been on the court, coach Gregg Popovich has been pleased with what he's seen.

The Spurs will go for a sixth straight win Wednesday night when they visit the Sacramento Kings, who stunned them in San Antonio earlier this season.

San Antonio is coming off a 107-100 win at Phoenix on Tuesday, the first time in four games that Duncan, Parker and Ginobili played the same night. With Ginobili playing in just his 19th game, the Spurs (34-14) improved to 12-4 when all three play.

"I think they play within the system and trust each other enough it comes out pretty good for them," Popovich said, "most of the time."

Popovich sat the 35-year-old Duncan in Sunday's win over Philadelphia and the rest appeared to pay off Tuesday, when he scored 26 points - 17 in the first half - and had 11 rebounds. It was his second-highest point total this season and fifth double-double in seven games.

Parker added 24 points and seven assists, scoring eight points during a 10-0 San Antonio run early in the fourth quarter. While he missed a game last week with a hamstring injury, Parker has scored 24 points or more in six of his last 10 games.

"Tony is probably playing like an MVP more than at any time since he's been in the league," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "People should start talking about him more for the MVP."

The Spurs have won 12 of their last 14 road games and eight of nine overall. They remain three games behind Oklahoma City for the best record in the Western Conference.

They'll look to avenge an 88-86 home loss to the Kings on Jan. 20, which ended a 12-game winning streak in the series.

Ginobili missed that game, in which San Antonio trailed by 15 points early. Tyreke Evans hit a jumper with 47.2 seconds left to put Sacramento up for good.

While the Spurs go for their seventh straight win in Sacramento, the Kings (17-32) will try to avoid a fourth straight loss overall after falling 113-106 in overtime Monday at Houston.

DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 38 points and added 14 rebounds while Marcus Thornton had 27 points, but Sacramento couldn't hold an early lead.

"We have to continue to grow," said Cousins, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. "We just have to execute down the stretch. We are close to turning things around, it just seems to be one play here or there."

Sacramento is giving up an average of 108.4 points the last nine games, yielding at least 110 in three of its last four.

"We self-destruct," coach Keith Smart said. "We have some success as a unit and a group and we just didn't stay with it. We have to be able to handle adversity as a team."

Cousins, averaging 27.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in his last four games, finished with 17 and 13 against the Spurs in January.

Spurs beat Kings for 6th straight victory

Posted Mar 29 2012 1:46AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Manu Ginobili talked about wanting to find his rhythm after helping the San Antonio Spurs win yet another road game.

However, Ginobili certainly resembled the slashing, high-scorer that he has been throughout his nine seasons with San Antonio. Coming off the bench, he scored 20 points in 25 minutes and the Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 117-112 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Ginoboli hit some key baskets in the fourth quarter when the deep and talented Spurs pulled away for their ninth victory in 10 games.

Ginobili has been playing well of late, but said he's still trying to fine-tune his game during a season where several injuries forced him to miss 29 games.

"I'm still trying to get in a rhythm," said Ginobili, who hit three 3-pointers and was 8 of 12 overall. "I'm getting there, it's been much better the past 10 days. I'm not at my best, but I'm letting it come to me. I'm trying to be more of a creator than a finisher."

Spurs center Tim Duncan said the team is the deepest in his 14 seasons with the Spurs. That was evident against the Kings, whose backups were outscored 55-20 by the San Antonio reserves. Rookie Kawhi Leonard was the only San Antonio player to go over 30 minutes, which was an important because coach Gregg Popovich's team was playing its fifth game in six nights. And the Spurs won all five games.

"Pop doesn't allow us to look for excuses," Duncan said. "He's doing a good job of keeping everyone fresh. He takes a lot of those excuses away."

The Spurs continue to thrive on the road. Since starting the season losing eight of 10, the Spurs have been difficult to beat away from home. The victory was their 13th in 15 games and their seventh consecutive victory overall in Sacramento. San Antonio has defeated the Kings in 13 of 14 games.

Leonard had 19 points, Duncan added 18 points and eight rebounds, Gary Neal scored 13 points, and Tony Parker had 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

The Spurs shot 54 percent overall, but were especially effective in the final two quarters when they shot 66 percent and scored 64 points.

"They play like a championship team. They play together and they look like they love playing together," Kings rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas said. "That's a team we need to look up to because they are very solid in every area."

Thomas scored a career-high 28 points and had 10 assists for Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Marcus Thornton added 18 points, and Jason Thompson had 15. The Kings have lost four straight.

"You have to play perfect against this team," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "You need a perfect effort from pretty much all of our guys who played tonight."

Ginobili, who had his fifth 20-plus game this season, hit a 3-pointer and came back quickly with a three-point play to put the Spurs in front 113-103 with 37 seconds left to play.

Sharing the ball and running their offense precisely, the Spurs managed to maintain the lead throughout the fourth quarter. Stephen Jackson made a fast-break layup off a pass from Parker, and Neal followed with a baseline drive, giving San Antonio a 103-96 at the 3:47 mark.

"We didn't have this kind of depth last year," Popovich said. "Our young players allow us not to overplay our veterans like Timmy and Tony. But down the stretch tonight I thought our experience really showed."

Neal made a 3-pointer and followed with consecutive baskets early in the fourth quarter, and Leonard's corner 3 put San Antonio ahead 93-86 with just under 9 minutes remaining.

The Spurs shot 70 percent (13 of 20) in the third quarter, yet were still outscored 29-28 by the Kings. Duncan had eight points in the third to help the Spurs take an 81-78 lead.

Notes: Kings reserve John Salmons missed the game because of a sore right hip. ... Signed on Tuesday and playing in his second game with the San Antonio, Patty Mills made his first basket as a Spur, hitting a 3-pointer in the second quarter when he scored seven points. ... Thornton was hit in the head during a wild scramble for the ball in the closing seconds of the third quarter. He was tested for a concussion and was back on the court midway through the fourth quarter.

Notebook: Spurs 117, Kings 112

Posted Thursday March 29, 2012 1:33AM

By James Ham, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: A road weary San Antonio Spurs team walked into Power Balance Pavilion and handed the Sacramento Kings their fourth consecutive loss tonight in a tough fought, 117-112 battle.

Manu Ginobili led the way for the Spurs, finishing with 20 points off the bench. Sure-fire Hall of Fame center Tim Duncan battled up-and-coming DeMarcus Cousins all night, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action. Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and nine rebounds for a Spurs team that has now won six in a row.

San Antonio had no answer for rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas finished with a career-high 28 points on the night and added 10 assists for his third double-double of the season. Cousins really challenged Duncan, dropping a 25-point, 11-rebound performance on the aging star in the loss.

QUOTABLE: "I feel pretty good right now. I'm sure it will hit me in the next two days here, but I feel good right now. It was great to win all of them. That was huge for us. We played tough games on the road and (against some) tough teams. We looked pretty good so we're getting better."
--Duncan on the tough five games in six night stretch.

THE STAT: The Spurs bench outscored the Kings 55-20 on the night. Ginobili led the way for the Spurs, but Patty Mills, Gary Neal, Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson all played solid ball in the win.

TURNING POINT: This game was close until the closing minutes when Tony Parker hit a huge 3-point shot from the corner to give the Spurs the 108-98 lead. Leading up to that moment Parker had not played particularly well, especially on the defensive end.

QUOTABLE II: "He's getting better. Every time we play them he's getting better. He's getting more comfortable with his role. He's expanded his game and he always plays hard, so he's getting better."
-- Duncan on the development of Cousins.

HOT: Thomas was incredible against a tough Spurs defensive team tonight. The rookie out of Washington scored a career-high 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting.

HOT II: Leonard had a stellar night for the Spurs as well, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Leonard also grabbed nine rebounds for a near double-double performance.

GOOD MOVE: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich showed an amazing amount of faith in reserve guard Gary Neal tonight. The second year player out of Towson University went 0-for-4 four in seven first half minutes and 1-for-5 through three quarters before scoring 11 points on perfect shooting in the fourth.

NOTABLE: Playing for the fifth time in six nights, the Spurs went to their bench early and often. Popovich used 12 men in the first half and in the waning moments of the fourth, James Anderson entered the game, becoming the 13th player used by the San Antonio on the evening.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Saturday vs. Indiana, Tuesday @ Cleveland, Wednesday @ Boston. For the Kings, Friday @ Utah, Saturday vs. New Jersey, Monday vs. Minnesota.

• Spurs: Dentmon, Joseph
• Kings: Salmons

• Spurs: --
• Kings: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #56 Mark Ayotte, #20 Leroy Richardson
• Attendance: 13119
• Duration: 2:08