San Antonio Spurs Blog – Page 43 – NBA Blog

Spurs handle Lakers 91-79, take Game 1

Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker scored 18 points each as the San Antonio Spurs led from early in the first quarter and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 91-79 on Sunday in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.

Tim Duncan added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Matt Bonner had 10 points and Kawhi Leonard had eight points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio.

Dwight Howard had 20 points and 15 rebounds, Steve Nash scored 16 points and Pau Gasol added 16 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Despite the double-doubles from Howard and Gasol, the Lakers failed to take full advantage of their inside presence, much to the consternation of the injured Kobe Bryant, who watched the national broadcast.

”Post. Post. Post,” Bryant tweeted in reference to the Lakers’ offense.

Bryant is out for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.

Los Angeles’ length caused San Antonio problems early as the Spurs missed their first three shots – all inside the paint – as they altered their shots to avoid Howard and Gasol…

Manu Ginobili hit a pair of 3s to give San Antonio a 70-57 lead to close the third. Ginobili was 6 for 13 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3s.

— Reported by Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press

Tracy McGrady has chance to finally advance in playoffs

Tracy McGrady has chance to finally progress in playoffs

Let’s start with the playoff thing. Because that’s where any discussion of Tracy McGrady usually starts, and often ends.

The playoff thing has dogged McGrady at practically every stop of his high-scoring career, whether it’s his six previous NBA destinations or, most recently, to the other side of the world in China.

The 33-year-old swingman signed by the Spurs on Tuesday for the postseason push bears this ignominious distinction: He is the only scoring champion in NBA history never to have won a postseason series.

That fact is a fact, and McGrady has found it to be inescapable.

“I think so much is made (about) I’ve never got past the first round,” McGrady said Wednesday morning after his first practice in San Antonio, “but it takes more than just me.”

Still, the playoff thing is an albatross. Nil-for-eight in previous postseasons, McGrady has been gifted with a chance to exorcise that pockmark from his otherwise sterling NBA résumé, but with a twist.

If the Spurs, seeded second in the upcoming Western Conference playoffs, do advance to the second round this season, McGrady won’t be the one driving them there. He is a passenger, only along for the ride.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs sign Tracy McGrady

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed forward Tracy McGrady.

T-Mac is playoff-eligible for the 58-23 Spurs, who have the second best record in the Western conference.

In 938 career NBA games, McGrady has averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.21 steals in 32.7 minutes. The 6-8, 225-pound forward has suited up in 44 career playoffs games, averaging 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.16 steals in 38.5 minutes.

McGrady was named All-NBA First Team in 2002 and 2003, All-NBA Second Team in 2001, 2004 and 2007, and All-NBA Third Team in 2005 and 2008. He led the NBA in scoring in 2002-03 after averaging a career-high 32.1 points and again in 2003-04 with 28.0 ppg.

The seven-time NBA All-Star was drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft. He has also suited up for the Orlando Magic (2000-04), Houston Rockets (2004-10), New York Knicks (2010), Detroit Pistons (2010-11) and the Atlanta Hawks (2011-12).

The 33-year old spent the 2012-13 season playing for Qingdao of the Chinese Basketball League. In 29 games he averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.55 steals in 31.6 minutes.

McGrady will wear No. 1 for the Spurs.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Lakers without Kobe beat Spurs 91-86

An empty chair sat in front of Kobe Bryant’s locker Sunday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers realized they would have to fill it together.

With their playoff hopes likely on the line against powerful San Antonio, the Lakers cobbled together a group effort that kept them in the hunt.

Dwight Howard had 26 points and 17 rebounds, and the Lakers staged a dramatic rally in the fourth quarter to win their first game since losing Bryant for the season, beating the Spurs 91-86 Sunday night to stay in playoff position.

Steve Blake scored 23 points for the Lakers (44-37), who lead Utah (42-38) by 1 1/2 games for the eighth postseason spot in the Western Conference after their seventh win in eight games – even with Bryant watching from home following surgery on his torn Achilles tendon…

”It definitely gives us confidence that if we play as hard as we did tonight, we can beat anybody,” said Pau Gasol, who had seven points and 16 rebounds…

Duncan had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who have lost six straight road games. San Antonio (58-22) is likely to finish second in the West behind Oklahoma City (59-21), which holds the tiebreaker.

Tony Parker scored just four points on 1-of-10 shooting while playing for just the fourth time in April, possibly slowed by his injured shin in the Spurs’ first game since waiving disenchanted forward Stephen Jackson. San Antonio is headed into another postseason as a top-two seed, but the Spurs have lost five of eight after failing to complete a season sweep of the Lakers.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

San Antonio Spurs waive Stephen Jackson

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have placed forward Stephen Jackson on waivers.

Jackson, who was in his second stint with the Spurs, saw action in 55 games this season, averaging 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.5 minutes.

According to the Associated Press, “Because he was released after March 1, Jackson – a member of San Antonio’s 2003 NBA championship team – is ineligible for the playoffs if he signs with another team. The move came about half an hour before the Spurs were scheduled to take their annual team photo. Fighting injuries, San Antonio is battling Oklahoma City for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.”

A 13-year NBA veteran, Jackson has appeared in 849 career games, averaging 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.30 steals in 32.1 minutes.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, ““We’re getting ready to playoffs and putting our team together, what we want to do and who we want to do it with,” head coach Gregg Popovich said. “We thought making this decision with Jack was best for the group. “Tough decision, because on a personal basis, I’ve known him a long time and I enjoy him very much. But you’ve got to make decisions that are tough sometimes. We thought this was best for our group.” Popovich said Jackson had not violated team policy. He also declined to address reports that Jackson was upset with his role. Jackson, who did not make the recent trip to Denver for unspecified reasons, had been averaging 6.2 points on 37.3-percent shooting this season. “You’ll have to ask Jack,” he said. “It’s basketball business. Family business. I don’t go into detail on that sort of thing.”

The Spurs roster now stands at 14.

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Judge rules DeJuan Blair must pay $53k to jeweler

Spurs center DeJuan Blair is scheduled to be deposed next week after a judge ruled he must pay more than $53,000 to Rivercenter Jewelers for merchandise the store allowed him to take on credit nearly three years ago, according to court documents and the attorney representing the jewelry store.

If Blair fails to show on Wednesday or continues to ignore the lawsuit that was first filed in October, the judge could find him in contempt and issue a warrant for his arrest.

Blair, 23, has filed no responding documents to the lawsuit, hasn’t appeared in court and in February a default judgment was issued in favor of the store.

A Spurs spokesman declined comment Tuesday. The general counsel for the Spurs referred questions to his agent Happy Walters.

Walters didn’t return two messages left at his Los Angeles agency.

Elliott Cappuccio, the attorney representing the store’s owner Zareem Merchant, said he had been in contact with the Spurs’ general counsel and Blair’s agent but never heard anything back.

— Reported by Michelle Mondo of the San Antonio Express-News

Mike Conley layup helps Grizzlies beat banged-up Spurs

Mike Conley drove for a layup with 0.6 seconds left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-90 Monday night for their third straight victory.

The Grizzlies matched their franchise record with their 50th win this season, and they won their 12th straight at home. They pulled out a win in a game where Conley’s bucket gave them their first lead since 18-16 late in the first quarter.

Conley scored the final five points and finished with 23. Jerryd Bayless had 17 points, Marc Gasol 16, Zach Randolph 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tayshaun Prince had 11 points.

Tony Parker had 25 points for the Spurs. Parker tried to beat the buzzer with a jumper that was too late.

Tiago Splitter added 13 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, who was not at full strength playing its second game in two nights. The Spurs left Kawhi Leonard at home with a sore left knee. Manu Ginobili is out at least three weeks with a strained right hamstring, and Tim Duncan also did not play after playing 35 minutes in Sunday night’s 88-86 loss to Miami.

— Reported by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press

Manu Ginobili out 3-4 weeks with strained right hamstring

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Manu Ginobili is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a strained right hamstring. The injury occurred during the first quarter of the Spurs vs. L.A. Clippers game on March 29.

The team also announced that Tim Duncan (sore left knee) and Kawhi Leonard (sore left knee) are both out for tonight’s game at Memphis.

Chris Bosh 3-pointer lifts short-handed Heat past Spurs

Often the forgotten member of Miami’s ”Big Three,” Chris Bosh stepped up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sitting out to get the Heat a big win and move closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

Bosh scored 23 points, including the winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining, and the Heat beat San Antonio 88-86 on Sunday night with James, Wade and Mario Chalmers watching from the locker room as they sat out with injuries.

”We are the defending champs no matter who we put out there,” Bosh said. ”We are still the Miami Heat. We believe in ourselves. Each one of these guys is a professional. We played bigger roles in other cities but we came together and accepted lesser roles to win a championship here. We can still tap into that.”

Ray Allen added 14 points, Norris Cole had 13 and Mike Miller 12 for Miami (58-15), which swept the season series with San Antonio (55-18). By earning the head-to-head tiebreaker with San Antonio, the Heat have a four-game cushion with nine remaining for the league’s best record…

Miami beat San Antonio 105-100 on Nov. 29 when the Spurs opted to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green.

All but Ginobili (strained right hamstring) played Sunday.

Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who had a seven-game home winning streak snapped. Green and Parker added 12 points apiece and Stephen Jackson had 11.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Manu Ginobili out indefinitely with hamstring injury

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich puts Manu Ginobili’s timetable to return from a strained right hamstring at weeks rather than days, a significant setback to the team’s pre-playoff preparation.

“It’s a huge blow for us,” he said, “because he’s the guy that allows our second team to do what they’ve been doing all year long.

“It’s a huge loss for that group, and in game situations it’s a tough one because he’s one of two guys, he and Tony (Parker), are the creators who make things happen for everybody else on the court. It’s an unfortunate loss at this point of the season.”

Popovich said it is unknown if Ginobili’s injury will stretch into the postseason, which begins on April 20. Excluding Sunday’s home game against Miami, the Spurs have nine games remaining in the regular season, with the last coming on April 17 against Minnesota.

— Reported by Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News (Blog)