Notes from San Antonio Spurs 108-95 win over Houston Rockets on Friday, January 29, 2011
The Spurs won their 40th game of the season with a 108-95 victory over the Rockets, improving to 40-7 on the season. The 40 wins through the first 47 games of this season is the best record in team history at this point of the season. They become only the eighth team in NBA history to post a record of 40-7 or better through the first 47 games of a season. The best record in NBA history through 47 games is 43-4, which has been achieved once by Philadelphia in the 1966-67 season. San Antonio’s previous best record through 47 games was 37-10, which has been accomplished twice (2005-06, 2004-05).
San Antonio improved to 25-2 at home through the first 27 games played in the AT&T Center. This marks the best home start in team history, matching the 2004-05 Spurs who also won 25 through the first 27 home games. Tonight’s win marks the 18th consecutive win at home, which is the longest home winning streak since the Spurs won 20 in a row from November 11, 1989-February 6, 1990.
The Spurs had balanced scoring tonight, with all five starters reaching double figures, led by Manu Ginobili’s 22. Richard Jefferson scored 18, Tony Parker 17, DeJuan Blair 14 and Tim Duncan 12. This marks the seventh time all five San Antonio starters have reached double figures in the same game.
Ginobili finished the night with 22 points, shooting .636 (7-11) from the field, .667 (4-for-6) from behind the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. This marks the 23rd game he has scored 20 or more points. Last season, he scored at least 20 points 24 times.
Jefferson recorded 18 points on 7-for-8 (.875) shooting from the floor, 2-for-3 (.667) from three-point land and 2-for-2 (1.000) from the free throw line. This marks the 33rd game he has reached double figures in points. Of his 18 points, half came in the third quarter.
POSTGAME QUOTES
SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH: (On Richard Jefferson) “He was aggressive all night, he played well. He caught with the idea of trying to be a scorer whether it was shooting the ball or driving it. He did a good job the entire time he was on the court. He also did a good job on the defensive end.”
SPURS GUARD MANU GINOBILI: (On the importance of getting a home win before the Rodeo Road Trip) “Very important. We’re going to have nine on the road, the usual rodeo trip. It’s important to finish the last home game with a win. Houston for us is always a tough match-up. They play hard, they know us very well, and it’s a team that I like. They’ve been struggling with injuries, but they are a tough team. We played a great second half.”
ROCKETS HEAD COACH RICK ADELMAN: “They’ve had a great year so far. They move the ball very well. They’re very unselfish. They’ve got a lot of guys that can contribute for them. They have all the ingredients of a team that’s going to be very difficult to beat. I’m very impressed with what they’ve done because I don’t think anyone expected this at the start of the year. They’ve been very consistent game-in and game-out.”
ROCKETS FORWARD SHANE BATTIER: (On Tim Duncan) “He’s just solid and he’s always in the right spot. He just knows how to play the game. You can put anyone around him and he makes them better. He’s just a pillar, he is one of the few pillars in this league.”
