San Anotnio Spurs News
12-5-14: The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference through the first five weeks of the season as the team has posted a 10-4 record. The Spurs started this week by traveling back home the night after the Thanksgiving holiday to play host to the Sacramento Kings at home in San Antonio. During the contest the Spurs started hot with a big first half as the team put up 61 points to take a 10 point lead with them into the locker room at half time. San Antonio then grinded away with Sacramento matching them point for point for much of the second half of the contest. The Kings could not stop Tony Parker who finished with 27 points and could not do much against the San Antonio defense as the Spurs went on to win the contest by the score of 112-104. For the Spurs next contest the team traveled to the East Coast to take on the Boston Celtics in Boston. During the contest the Celtics had a tough night shooting, particularly from beyond the arc, while also struggling to hold down the Spurs offensive attack. The Celtics shot just 41% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc knocking down just six three pointers in the contest to the Spurs 11 three point shots. The Spurs survived a slow night from Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli to beat the Celtics in convincing fashion by the score of 111-89. The Spurs were back at it again this week in Philadelphia as the team tried to keep the 76ers winless on the season. During the contest the Spurs jumped out to an early lead making things look grim once again for the Sixers as San Antonio took a 15 point lead at halftime. Philadelphia mounted a comeback in the second half led by Michael Carter-Williams who finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The Sixers quickly made up nine of those points but the Spurs superiority in rebounding eventually iced the game as San Antonio went on to beat Philadelphia by the score of 109-103. The Spurs finished their week out on the road when the team traveled to Brooklyn to take on the Brooklyn Nets. During the contest the Nets held the Spurs to just 36% shooting from the field but once again San Antonio found a way to stay close. Brooklyn held Tony Parker to just 9 points in the contest while Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan only combined for 29 points. The Spurs stayed close with their defense as the team brought down more rebounds and took 11 more shots than the team from Brooklyn. In the end it didn’t matter as the Nets and Mirza Teletovic went on to edge the defending NBA champions by the score of 95-93. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 13-5. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as the team travels to Memphis to take on the Memphis Grizzlies before coming back home to play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves. San Antonio will then travel to Utah to take on the Utah Jazz before finishing their week back at home hosting the New York Knicks.
11-28-14: The San Antonio Spurs started their defense of their NBA Championship with a 7-4 record to start the 2014/2015 season after a month’s worth of games. The Spurs started this week by traveling to Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference road game. In the contest the Spurs trio of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan combined for 42 points while six players from San Antonio scored in double figures. The Timberwolves were led by 20 points from Anthony Bennett but the team shot just 41% from the field in a 121-92 loss to the Spurs. San Antonio was in action again the very next night as the team traveled back home to host the Brooklyn Nets in their next contest. In the game the Nets were led by 24 points from Deron Williams but just two other Brooklyn players scored in double figures in the contest. The Nets finished with a 37% shooting percentage from the field and a 33% shooting percentage from beyond the arc in a cold night of shooting for Brooklyn. Meanwhile the Spurs shot 52% from the field as a team and were led by 22 points from Tony Parker in a 99-87 victory for San Antonio. The Spurs finished their week off by traveling back home to south Texas to play host to the Indiana Pacers. During the contest Manu Ginobili enjoyed a hot hand shooting as the Spurs guard finished with 28 points off the bench to lead all scorers while shooting 10-18 from the field. Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard added 21 points each while Tim Duncan scored 17 in a 106-100 victory over the Pacers. Indiana watched as Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points and Luis Scola added 13 points but it was not enough in the loss for the Pacers. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 10-4. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as the team heads back home to take on the Sacramento Kings before traveling out on the road to play the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets to finish the week.
11-21-14: The San Antonio Spurs began their defense of their NBA championship in what could possibly be Tim
Duncan and Manu Ginobli’s final season by starting the 2014/2015 campaign with a 4-3 record in the
first two weeks. The Spurs started this week by traveling to Los Angeles and Staples Center to take on
the one win Los Angeles Lakers on the road. In the contest Kobe Bryant was absolutely cold from the
field shooting just 1-14 and 0-5 from the three point line as the star guard managed just nine points in
the contest. Meanwhile the Spurs were led by the usual suspects in Tim Duncan and Tony Parker as San
Antonio went on to beat the Lakers in convincing fashion by the score of 93-80. The very next night the
Spurs were in Sacramento taking on the Kings in a Western Conference road game for San Antonio. In
the contest the Spurs were led by the trio of Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan who combined
for 47 points and 14 rebounds. The Kings were led by 25 points from DeMarcus Cousins, 19 points from
Darren Collison and 18 points from Rudy Gay in a 94-91 victory for Sacramento. San Antonio went back
home after four straight road games to host the struggling and winless Philadelphia 76ers at home in
their next contest. San Antonio looked to keep Philadelphia winless on the season behind 18 points from
Matt Bonner but the Spurs big three had a rough night shooting. Manu Ginobli managed just 2 points,
Tony Parker scored just 5 points, and Tim Duncan scored 10 points as the trio had no answer for the
76ers defense. The Spurs defense was tougher on the night though as just two Philadelphia players
managed to score in double digits in the game as the 76ers shot just 33% from the field. When the final
whistle blew the Spurs were on top of the Sixers as San Antonio went on to win the game by the score of
100-75. San Antonio set out on the road in their next contest to Cleveland to take on the Cleveland
Cavaliers in the Spurs final game of the week. In the first half of the contest LeBron James was red hot
from the field but the Cavaliers star went cold in the second half allowing the defending NBA champions
back into the game. When it was all said and done Cleveland could not take advantage of a huge game
by Anderson Varejo as the Spurs narrowly beat the Cavaliers by the score of 92-90.When the week was
all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 7-4. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as
the team heads out on the road to play the Minnesota Timberwolves before heading home to host the
Brooklyn Nets and the Indiana Pacers in San Antonio.
11-14-14: The San Antonio Spurs started their defense of their NBA Championship by posting an even 2-2 record in their first full week of the season. The Spurs started this week by playing host to the New Orleans Pelicans at home in a Western Conference showdown. The game was well contested and closely played until the third quarter when New Orleans outscored the Spurs by eight points led by their top scorer Anthony Davis who had 27 points on the night. The Spurs came back and made things interesting down to the final buzzer in the fourth quarter outscoring the Pelican’s by nine points led by the game’s top scorer Tony Parker who had 28 points. In the end the Spurs late comeback was not enough as the Pelicans narrowly beat the Spurs by the score of 100-99. The Spurs headed home after the loss to New Orleans looking to get back on track against the Los Angeles Clippers. In the contest Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 26 points while the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli combined for 41 points. The Clippers were led by 23 points from Blake Griffin but the team fell in the contest due to cold shooting from the rest of the team including Chris Paul. The Spurs would go on to beat the Clippers by the score of 89-85 in this contest. The Spurs looked to be on the winning side of things once again in their next game when the team traveled to Golden State to take on the Golden State Warriors. Tony Parker broke out in the contest for the Spurs scoring 28 points while Tim Duncan had a double-double in the contest that San Antonio would go on to win convincingly by the score of 113-100. Golden State was led by Klay Thompson as Stephen Curry had a cold night shooting going just 7-18 from the field and 0-7 from beyond the arc in the loss. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 4-3. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as the team travels out on the road to play the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings before traveling back home to host the Philadelphia 76ers at home. San Antonio will finish their week off by setting back out on the road to finish their schedule up against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
11-7-14: The San Antonio Spurs started their 2014/2015 season off last week by beating the Dallas Mavericks in
their season opener and home opener to start the young NBA season and defense of their NBA
championship with a 1-0 record. With the 2014/2015 season entering its first full week the Spurs
traveled to Phoenix to face off with the Phoenix Suns on the road. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 19
points while Tim Duncan chipped in 16 points of his own but it was not enough as the Suns and 23
points from Isaiah Thomas were too much in the Suns 94-89 victory. San Antonio had four nights off
after the game with the Suns before heading back home to host the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta was coming
off three straight days off and started the game with obvious signs of rust as the Hawks only scored 39
points at halftime. DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap had 17 points each for the Hawks but the team
settled for too many three point shots. The Hawks attempted 25 shots from beyond the arc and their
lack of aggressiveness cost them at the free throw line. Atlanta only took 11 shots from the charity stripe
while San Antonio attempted 38 shots from the line which ultimately was the deciding factor in this
game. The Spurs went on to win the game by the score of 94-92 behind Tony Parker and Tim Duncan’s
17 points each. In the final game of the week San Antonio was in Houston to take on the Houston
Rockets on the road. In the contest San Antonio had no answer for Houston’s Dwight Howard as he
scored 32 points and added 16 rebounds in a game where all 15 Houston Rockets got into the contest.
Meanwhile San Antonio was led by Cory Joseph’s 18 points in a game that Tim Duncan and Manu
Ginobli did not play. Houston went on to the win the game by the score of 98-81. When the week was
all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 2-2. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as
the team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans before heading out on the road to face off with the Los
Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
10-31-14: The San Antonio Spurs tipped off the 2014-2015 season by facing off with the Dallas Mavericks on the road as the Spurs began their defense of their NBA Championship. The Spurs go into this season knowing that there is a very good possibility that this is the final season in the NBA for both Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan. With that knowledge the team was reluctant to give players like Kawhi Leonard a contract extension as the team faces uncertainty after the 2014/2015 season. In the first game the Spurs faced off with the Dallas Mavericks and Tony Parker once again led the Spurs offensive attack with 23 points while Tim Duncan dominated the boards with 13 rebounds as the Spurs edged the Mavericks by the score of 101-100. The Spurs defense held the Mavs star player Dirk Nowitzki to just 18 points on 7-11 shooting in the loss while holding Monta Ellis to just 26 points on 21 shots. Get your Spurs tickets for next week as the team travels to Phoenix to take on the Suns before hosting the Atlanta Hawks at home. San Antonio will finish the week by traveling to Houston to take on the Houston Rockets on the road.
10-29-14: The Spurs enter the 2014-15 season on the heels of their fifth NBA championship in franchise history. With their core group back intact, the team has also secondary ticket prices skyrocket since last year. The average price for Spurs tickets on the secondary market this season is $157.64, just 4.4% above last season’s average. The most expensive game on the Spurs schedule at home this season will be against the Cavaliers on March 12. The average secondary price for that game is currently $325.06, 106% above the season average, with a get-in price of $31.
10-24-14: The defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs won a league-best 62 games last season before winning their fifth franchise championship. Along with Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs will look to pick up where they left off but own just a 2-4 record in the preseason. The Spurs have made the playoffs each year since 1998, cementing one of the longest postseason runs in NBA history.
10-15-14: The San Antonio Spurs started their preseason schedule with an opening 94-93 loss to a non NBA team Berlin, followed by a 96-90 win over Fernerbahce Ulker in the Spurs last outing on Oct 11. San Antonio will be in actions this Thursday as they take on the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center with four more remaining preseason games to follow with Miami, Sacramento, Atlanta, and Houston before the Spurs kick off their regular season on Oct 28 at home against the Dallas Mavericks.
10-8-14: The San Antonio Spurs kick off their preseason tonight against a Berlin team, followed by another non NBA matchup with the Fenerbache Ulker as the Spurs first preseason game against an NBA team is on October 16 when they take on the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center, with remaining preseason games against the Heat, Kings, Hawks, and Rockets. The Spurs will look to repeat as NBA Champions for the first time in the Tim Duncan/ Gregg Popovich era.
9-22-14: The reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs did everything right this offseason in that they kept nearly everyone from last year. 13 players from last season are back with swingman Damion James who barely played last season was recently signed by the Washington Wizards and center Aron Baynes hitting restricted free agency. Baynes currently remains unsigned and his getting interest from the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball League. With first round pick Kyle Anderson taking up one of the spots, there is one spot left on the roster for the reigning champs.
8-13-14: The San Antonio Spurs were destined to win the NBA title this past June after coming thisclose the year prior. This year they remain as the favorites to win it all with resigning key players like Boris Diaw and Patty Mills and giving their star player Tony Parker a contract extension. They also added Kyle Anderson in the draft and gave their head coach Greg Popovich a contract extension. Don’t expect the San Antonio Spurs to go anywhere this upcoming season but will certainly be the team to beat in this upcoming season.
San Antonio Spurs 2014 Draft Overview
Round 1, Pick 30, Kyle Anderson, PF, UCLA
Round 2, Pick 54, Nemanja Dangubic, SG, Serbia (via trade with Philadelphia 76ers)
6-20-14: For the first time since 2007, the Spurs are NBA champions. Tim Duncan and Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich continued their reign of winning at least 50 games in every non-lockout season and followed that up with their fourth title. While Kawhi Leonard won the NBA Finals MVP award and had a terrific series guarding LeBron James, the 2013-14 Spurs were a true team. They battled through the season together, and Popovich rested his stars very well. After a seven-game first-round series, Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs played just 16 more games before lifting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
6-13-14: Kawhi Leonard came alive in Miami and is a very important reason for the Spurs’ huge victories in Games 3 and 4. After struggling in both of the home games in the NBA Finals, he filled the box score in each of the next two contests. With a career-high 29 points in Tuesday’s Game 3 and a double-double in Thursday’s Game 4, Leonard is taking the next leap in his NBA career. He looks to be unstoppable along with the rest of the Spurs as they head back home for Game 5 on Sunday. After losing the 2013 title by the slimmest of margins, the 2014 Spurs are ready to finish this series and hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
6-9-14: The Spurs gave themselves some much-needed rest before the NBA Finals. They finished off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals by dominating the third quarter and the overtime period of Game 6. Tony Parker only played the first half of that contest due to an ankle injury. However, Manu Ginobili ran the show the rest of the way, and the Spurs made their first back-to-back Finals appearances in franchise history. In Game 1 of the Finals, the air conditioning went out in the AT&T Center. In spite of a season-high number of turnovers for the Spurs, they took advantage of LeBron James sitting out with cramps and won, 110-95.
6-2-14: Serge Ibaka completely changed this series, but the Spurs battled back at home. After losing Games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma City, San Antonio destroyed the visiting Thunder in Game 5. Gregg Popovich inserted Matt Bonner into the starting lineup, replacing Tiago Splitter. After leading by 10 points at halftime, the Spurs doubled that lead heading into the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the 117-89 victory. Manu Ginobili also chipped in with 19 points in Thursday’s win. After Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 40 points in Game 4, the Spurs held Kevin Durant and Westbrook to a combined 46 points in Game 5.
5-27-14: The Spurs took advantage of the Oklahoma City Thunder not having Serge Ibaka in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. San Antonio carried a single-digit lead into the third and fourth quarters of Game 1, and the team extended it in the final 12 minutes to win, 122-105. The Spurs played a very good second quarter in Game 2 and led by 14 points at halftime, and they continued their strong run into the third quarter. Behind a team-high 22 points from Tony Parker and 21 points from Danny Green, the Spurs trounced the Thunder, 112-77, to take the 2-0 lead.
5-19-14: Tony Parker, who left Game 5 due to hamstring tightness, led the Spurs to victory in Game 3. He scored a game-high 29 points in that contest as San Antonio won, 118-103. Parker put up 20 points in the first half, and coincidentally, the Spurs led by 20 points at the half in Portland that evening. Although San Antonio fell in Game 4 by 11 points, the Spurs returned home to put away the series. With the 104-82 victory in Game 5, the Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive year. San Antonio is looking to win its first championship since 2007.
5-12-14: The Spurs struggled through their first-round series with the Dallas Mavericks, but fought hard and made it to the second round. San Antonio lost Game 6 in Dallas by two points, but destroyed the Mavericks in the decisive game two days later. Tony Parker’s game-high 32 points in Game 7 led the Spurs to victory. Parker kept up his great scoring in Game 1 of the second round as he put another game-high point total. His 33 points and nine assists keyed the Spurs’ 116-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Then, after Spurs general manager R.C. Buford was named the NBA Executive of the Year, San Antonio won Game 2, 114-97.
5-5-14: Back in 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies upset the first-seeded Spurs in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In 2014, the Spurs are hoping for a different result against the Dallas Mavericks. The series has been a rollercoaster for San Antonio fans thus far. After the two teams split the first two contests, the Mavericks took Game 3 on a Vince Carter buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Then, the Spurs bounced back with two victories to get the 3-2 lead in the series. In Game 4, they dominated the Mavericks in the paint, and Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 23 points en route to the 93-89 victory. The Spurs then took Game 5, 109-103.
4-28-14: Before the playoffs started, Tony Parker said that the Spurs’ success this season is meaningless if the team does not win the championship. In Game 1, Tim Duncan and Parker combined for 48 points while Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis only put up a collective 22 points. The Spurs went on a 15-0 run late in the game in front of their home crowd en route to defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 90-85. San Antonio won in spite of shooting 3-of-17 from 3-point land. While the Spurs improved their 3-point shooting in Game 2, Gregg Popovich, who was named the NBA Coach of Year, saw the Mavericks blow out his team.
4-21-14: The Spurs posted a .500 record in April, but still won 62 games in 2013-14, matching their second-highest total for a single season in franchise history. However, the previous three times that they won more than 60 contests, they failed to make it to the NBA Finals. San Antonio, which is in the playoffs for the 17th straight year, will look to make it back-to-back runs to the Finals. The Spurs dropped three of their last five games at the end of the season, but one of the wins was against the Dallas Mavericks. With that victory, the Spurs had won nine consecutive games against their 2014 first-round opponent.
4-16-14: San Antonio Spurs playoff tickets average $165 on the secondary market, which is 6th in the western conference and 12th overall. The regular season average was $76, meaning there is a 117% premium on playoff tickets. The Spurs are locked in to the 1st seed in the conference and will face either the Mavericks or Grizzlies in the opening round.
4-7-14: The Spurs had a busy week and still went 4-1. However, the last game was the one that stopped their franchise-best 19-game winning streak. San Antonio beat the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors each by double digits, but then fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder by 12 points on Thursday. Gregg Popovich was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for March after the Spurs finished the month with a perfect record. The NBA named Tim Duncan the Western Conference Player of the Week, and he will look to get the league-best Spurs to the NBA Finals again.
4-1-14: The winning streak is still going for the Spurs. They have won 15 straight games and are just two victories away from matching their franchise-best winning streak. Impressively, they continue to win without some of their stars. Surprisingly, the Spurs had their full lineup on Friday at Sacramento. They defeated the Kings by 20 points. On Saturday, Gregg Popovich rested Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, and San Antonio beat the Warriors, 99-90. Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter and Danny Green missed Monday’s game, but Austin Daye’s game-high 22 points led the Spurs to a 113-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, they beat the Denver Nuggets by five points on Wednesday.
3-24-14: The Spurs just cannot lose. Although San Antonio had an easy schedule this past week, the team won all three of its games to push its winning streak to 11 games. Danny Green made five 3-pointers as the Spurs destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-85. That was the first time in NBA history that San Antonio beat the Lakers by 34 points. Then on Sunday, the Spurs hosted the Utah Jazz. Tim Duncan put up 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks as the Spurs won, 122-104. On Wednesday, Tony Parker’s game-high 25 points led the way for the Spurs as they beat the Lakers again.
3-17-14: The wins keep on coming for the Spurs. They now have eight victories in a row after this past week. The winning streak has coincided with Kawhi Leonard’s return to the lineup. On Saturday, Tony Parker scored a game-high 30 points in San Antonio’s 121-112 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic. Then on Tuesday, the Spurs took down the Chicago Bulls, 104-96. Parker put up 20 points and nine assists. With the Spurs’ 103-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, San Antonio improved its NBA-best record to 48-16. Leonard filled the stat sheet that night with 12 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block.
3-10-14: After having a strong 2013 postseason, Kawhi Leonard has become very important for the 2013-14 Spurs. In his 46 games played this season, San Antonio has a 37-9 record. Without Leonard, the Spurs are just 8-7. Since he returned from his hand injury in the team’s second-to-last game in February, the Spurs have not lost. On Friday, with a 92-82 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, San Antonio clinched its 17th consecutive winning season. Then, on Sunday, Tony Parker returned from a six-game absence to put up 22 points and seven assists in the Spurs’ 112-106 victory. San Antonio finished the week by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat by a combined 45 points.
3-3-14: The Spurs had a very light week as they continue to play without starting point guard Tony Parker. Although the Spurs lost on Friday night by a large margin, they finished their lengthy road trip with a 6-3 record. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard missed that contest, but San Antonio still owns the league’s best road record. Then, the Spurs got a resting period between that game and their one on Wednesday. Leonard returned from his long absence to play on his own bobblehead night at the AT&T Center, and he filled up the stat sheet. He put up 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in the 120-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
2-24-14: On Saturday, Marco Belinelli made Spurs fans proud. He won the 3-Point Shootout with a tremendous 24-point score in the tiebreaker round to beat out Bradley Beal. Then on Sunday, Tony Parker participated in the All-Star game. However, many people are criticizing his decision to play in the exhibition contest because the point guard is now out indefinitely. Even with Parker and Kawhi Leonard sidelined, the Spurs swept their back-to-back set this past week. Patty Mills scored 25 points off the bench, including 16 in the fourth quarter in the Spurs 10-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Then on Wednesday, San Antonio improved its league-best road record to 22-7 with a 111-109 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
2-18-14: The Spurs had a solid week as they continued to survive their large number of injuries heading into the All-Star break. They took on three below-.500 Eastern Conference teams and finished with a 2-1 record. On Saturday, San Antonio continued its dominance of the Charlotte Bobcats. Although Tony Parker and Tim Duncan played, neither of them scored the most points of the evening. Patty Mills came off the bench to score a season-high 32 points. Although the Spurs fell in Detroit by nine points on Monday, Cory Joseph dished off a career-high nine assists. On Wednesday, Gregg Popovich rested Tony Parker, but the Spurs were still able to beat the Boston Celtics.
2-10-14: After having a very frustrating week, the Spurs bounced back to win three consecutive games. They got Tiago Splitter back into the starting lineup, and Tim Duncan led the team with 23 points in San Antonio’s two-point victory over the Sacramento Kings. Then on Monday, Danny Green returned from a 10-game absence, and Tony Parker was happy to see him back. The point guard scored a game-high 32 points as the Spurs started their nine-game rodeo road trip with a victory. Although Parker left Wednesday’s game with an injury at halftime, Tim Duncan’s season-high 31 points led the Spurs to a double-overtime victory in Washington. On Thursday, Gregg Popovich decided to rest his stars as San Antonio fell to the Nets in Brooklyn.
2-4-14: Just about one week after the Spurs announced that Kawhi Leonard would miss a month, San Antonio encountered yet another injury. On Tuesday, Manu Ginobili suffered a left hamstring injury at Houston and is now out three to four weeks. The Spurs eventually lost that contest to the Rockets by seven points. With San Antonio also falling in Miami two days prior, the Spurs suffered consecutive losses for the first time in the 2013-14 season. Then, they made it three defeats in a row as the Chicago Bulls went into San Antonio and got the win. This past week was not all doom and gloom as the Spurs beat the Hawks by 26 points in Atlanta on January 24.
1-27-14: The Spurs had a frustrating week, as they went 1-2 in their three home games. San Antonio entered Friday’s contest on its second-longest winning streak of the season, and Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 29 points, but that performance was not enough to get the victory for the Spurs. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Spurs, 109-100, in San Antonio. Although Tony Parker sat out Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a bruised right shin, the Spurs won that contest by 28 points. Then, two days later, Parker had a season-high 37 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Spurs lost, 111-105. The news was even worse after the game: the Spurs announced that Kawhi Leonard would miss the next three to four weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his right hand.
1-20-14: Although two of their regular starters recently went down, the Spurs have won their last six contests. After dropping a Thursday night home game to the New York Knicks on January 2, San Antonio defeated six different Western Conference opponents. While Tiago Splitter (sprained shoulder) and Danny Green (fractured hand) remain out for at least a couple more weeks, Manu Ginobili has stepped up after recovering from a hamstring injury of his own. Kawhi Leonard, who has started the most games of any Spur this season, has filled the stat sheet almost every night, including his 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in Wednesday’s win against the Utah Jazz.
1-7-14: The Spurs only played three games this past week, all of which were at the AT&T Center. San Antonio rode Manu Ginobili’s season-high 28 points to beat the Sacramento Kings by eight on Sunday. Tony Parker also chipped in 22 points while Tim Duncan posted his 11th double-double of the season. Then on Tuesday, the Spurs continued their dominance of the Nets, as they won by 21 points. Parker led the way with a game-high 18 points in the easy victory. However, the Spurs then surprisingly fell to the New York Knicks on Thursday. Marco Belinelli scored a career-best 32 points, but it was not enough.
12-30-13: The Spurs’ December schedule has been packed: this time, they played four games over a six-day stretch. The busy weeks have finally taken a toll on San Antonio, as the team lost two of its last three games at the AT&T Center after starting the season 9-2 at home. However, the two losses were to two of the Spurs’ strongest competitors in the Western Conference this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets went into San Antonio and won by 13 points each this past week. Interestingly, the Spurs ended up beating the Toronto Raptors on Monday by 13 points as well, but the trend stopped on Thursday when San Antonio defeated the Mavericks by nine points in Dallas.
12-22-13: The Spurs had a busy week, which included five games in five different cities in seven days. They swept both of their back-to-back sets, but lost to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Tim Duncan put together a fantastic week, as he posted a double-double in the four games that he played. He then sat out along with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the Thursday night contest at Golden State. The Spurs bench provided Gregg Popovich with tremendous play en route to the 104-102 San Antonio victory. Marco Belinelli, who has been shooting the lights out from 3-point distance this season, scored a career-high 28 points in the win over the Warriors.
12-13-13: How about these Spurs? They are among the best teams in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season and own a 17-4 record. San Antonio even won its last two games without starting center Tiago Splitter. After losing by 11 to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, the Spurs went on the road and defeated the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks by a combined 45 points. Tim Duncan, who has scored double-digit points in each of his last eight games, led all players with 21 points and 16 rebounds in the win over the Bucks on Wednesday.
12-7-13: As always, the Spurs are quietly one of the best teams in the league this season. After beginning the season 13-2, they went to Orlando on Friday and beat the Magic by 18 points. Tim Duncan put up a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds in that contest. After defeating the Magic, San Antonio lost to the Houston Rockets on Saturday, but the Spurs recovered on Monday to beat the Atlanta Hawks. Duncan was the star of that game as well; he registered his first 20-20 game in almost a year. Even at 37 years old, he is still a very good NBA big man.
11-28-13: It turns out the Spurs are somewhat human after all, as their 11-game winning streak was finally snapped on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. Despite the loss, the Spurs are 13-2 on the season and in first place in the very tough Western Conference. The Spurs are allowing the second fewest points allowed per game in the league, 90.3, and are winning despite not a single player on the team averaging more than 30 minutes per game. Amazing.
11-22-13: “Is this the year that the Spurs fall off “, said everyone ever. People are finally learning to never, ever say that again. The Spurs are tied for the best record in the league at 10-1 and are doing it the way that they always do – resting their starters and playing the Pop system. San Antonio hasn’t played a terribly difficult schedule (25th SOS), but they are dominating the teams that they’ve played. With just one game since last Friday (Wednesday night win over Boston), the Spurs continue to have the opportunity to rest their elders.
11-15-13: The Spurs appear to be merely
picking up where they left off from the NBA Finals a year ago, as their lone loss has come to a surprisingly solid Blazers team. The Spurs stand at 8-1 thanks to gritty team defense. In fact, the Spurs have been so effective on that end of the court, that no one has scored over 96 points on them in five straight games.
11-8-13: Tim Duncan is already dealing with an injury and the Spurs can’t possibly get any older or slower, yet they also can’t help but keep winning. The Spurs have picked up right where they left off from their trip to the NBA Finals a year ago, playing gritty defense and team offense, as they’re off to an impressive start through their first five games with a 4-1 record.
11-1-13: Once again, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are under the radar to begin the NBA season. Although Tim Duncan has never been a part of a professional basketball team with lower than a .600 winning percentage, San Antonio continues to be overlooked. The Spurs bring a very similar roster from 2012-13 to this season, but with Marco Belinelli coming off the bench instead of Gary Neal. Starters Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are rising stars that were essential to the Spurs’ run to the Finals last season. Manu Ginobili, who had a very solid preseason, comes off the bench as one of the league’s best sixth men.
10-31-13: It was revealed that Tim Duncan has a chest contusion after he underwent a CT scan on Thursday. He's doubtful for the Spurs game against the Lakers on Friday, but will travel with the team as they head out on their 3-game road trip.
10-18-13: The San Antonio Spurs are 2-2 in their four preseason games. Kawhi Leonard had a great game against the Denver Nuggets, despite the Spurs falling 98-94. Leonard led the team with 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Duncan leads the team in scoring per game with 12.6 points in the preseason. The Spurs have three preseason games remaining:
- Oct 19 at Miami
- Oct 22 vs Orlando
- Oct 24 vs Houston
8-23-13: Another NBA Championship was within their grasp, but a Game 7 defeat left the Spurs going home empty. The goal this summer wasn’t to reload, but simply to bring back the core of a team that has made San Antonio the model franchise throughout the entire league. Manu Ginobili re-signed for 2 years, $14.5M and Tiago Splitter is also returning next to Tim Duncan after signing a 4-year, $36M deal. The Spurs also added additional bench scoring in Marco Belinelli to replace Gary Neal, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.
San Antonio will open their home schedule on Wednesday, October 30th against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Miami Heat will return to San Antonio Thursday, March 6th. The Oklahoma City Thunder, their likeliest challenge for a number one seed in the West, will come to town on Saturday, December 21st and again on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Houston Rockets will visit on Saturday, November 30th and again a month later on Christmas night.
Key Home Games:
- October 30th – Memphis Grizzlies
- December 21st – Oklahoma City Thunder
- December 25th – Houston Rockets
- December 31st – Brooklyn Nets
- January 4th – L.A. Clippers
Spurs 2013 Draft Summary:
- Round 1, Pick 28: F Livio Jean-Charles, France.
- Round 2, Pick 28: SF Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State.
6-24-13: If indeed it is the end of an era for the Spurs, it was a great one without a doubt. After losing in game 7 of the NBA finals many questions will swirl once the smoke clear regarding the team’s future. The Spurs won an impressive 58 games this year including a 35-6 home record. Manu Ginobili is a free agent and the Spurs will have some flexibility under the cap with only $41.8M committed to next year’s team so far. All in all it was another admirable season for the Spurs as we should all expect them to be in the race as long as Gregg Popovich remains at the helm. Tim Duncan will be under contract next year but it is uncertain how much longer he wishes to play. This off season seemingly will mark the passing of the torch as many of the older players walk into the sunset while the younger ones will take a bigger role among the league’s stars.
2-19-13: At 42-12, the machine-like Spurs have the best record in the NBA and seem to be a lock for a top 1-2 seed in the playoffs. Despite periodically resting their star players from time to time, the Spurs have continued to roll through the league thus far in the first half of the season. As of the all-star break the Spurs are on a 15-1 tear and will look to continue their steam-roll of success tonight against the Kings. Tim Duncan missed a considerable amount of time with an injury but should return to action this week. The Spurs have a winnable schedule upcoming, leading into their March 11th matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs have a reputation for being extremely successful during the regular season but then fizzling out to younger and fresher legs in the postseason.
11-26-12: The Spurs lead what many may call the NBA’s best division. With a league leading 11 wins the Spurs have protected home court and even won a signature road game in Boston. Typically the Spurs open seasons with a majority of their games on the road and this year it has had no ill-effect. With a 7-1 road record so far, the Spurs look to continue their dominance when they take on the lowly Wizards and Magic.
