Category: San Antonio Spurs Blog

The AP reports: The defending champions beat the New Orleans Hornets, 99-80 in Game 6, staying alive and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday in New Orleans… Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points to tie the Western Conference semifinals… Chris Paul led the Hornets with 21 points and eight assists, and Tyson Chandler scored 14 points. David West had 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after aggravating a back injury… Despite the closeness of the series, Game 6, like the five before it, was won by double digits. It was also won, like those before it, in the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Hornets 20-12… The Spurs shot 49 percent from the field (38-of-77) to the Hornets’ 41 percent (33-of-80) and outrebounded them 45-40. The Spurs had 28 assists and the Hornets had 13… With 10:11 left in the game, West left the court after aggravating a back injury.

The AP reports: Back pain couldn’t keep David West from taking the court with aggression. The San Antonio Spurs couldn’t stop him from dominating… West had career playoff highs of 38 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots, lifting New Orleans to a 101-79 victory over the Spurs on Tuesday night and a 3-2 series lead… Chris Paul had 16 of his 22 points in the second half and added 14 assists for the Hornets, who’ve never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the franchise’s 20-year history. Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 20 points and Tony Parker had 18. The Hornets held Tim Duncan to 10 points, though Duncan was a force on the glass with 23 rebounds… Guarded mostly by Tyson Chandler, Duncan was 5-of-18 shooting, but Chandler left the game early in the fourth quarter with a bruised left foot. Meanwhile, a trainer put an ice pack on West’s back after he left the game in the final minutes as the Hornets All-Star forward grimaced in pain… While Stojakovic managed only nine points, he recognized who had the hot hand. His pass to the corner set up Peterson’s fourth 3, which put the Hornets ahead 68-54. Paul then added two free throws, giving him 12 for the quarter, and West scored his 30th point of the game on a jumper over Parker, giving the Hornets a 72-58 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 44.7%, the Spurs 37.7%. The Hornets nailed 8-of-15 three-pointers, the Spurs were also good, hitting 9-of-23. The Hornets also hit 25-of-33 free throws, the Spurs just 12-of-18. The Hornets rebounded better, had a few more assists, a few less turnovers, and won the steals category 8-1.

For the Hornets, David West (16-of-25) had 38 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Chris Paul (just 6-of-18, but 9-of-11 free throws) had 22 points and 14 assists. Morris Peterson scored 12, Jannero Pargo 10. Peja Stojakovic only scored 9, but somehow managed to grab 11 rebounds.

For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili (just 5-of-15) had 20 points and 7 assists. Tony Parker (7-of-14) had 18 points and little else. Tim Duncan (awful 5-of-18 and just 0-of-1 free throws) had 10 points, an awesome 23 rebounds, but little else. Bruce Bowen (4-of-5) scored 10. Kurt Thomas was an awful 1-of-6. Mike Finley was also 1-of-6. Brent Barry went 1-of-4.

The AP reports: Tim Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans—22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks—to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday… Tony Parker added 21 points for the Spurs, who are assured of a Game 6 back in San Antonio. Game 5 is Tuesday in New Orleans… The Spurs led by as many as 27 and were ahead nearly the entire game. They shot 51 percent (39-of-76), while the Hornets were cold when it counted. They shot 37 percent through three quarters and finished 33-of-82 (40 percent) from the field… San Antonio scored 40 points in the paint. New Orleans’ plan to keep Parker out of the lane didn’t work, as he knifed his way through heavy traffic or found openings to get to the rim, and hit jumpers… In the third quarter, when the Hornets were so dominant in the first two games, the Spurs kept up their hot shooting and New Orleans got worse.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Spurs shot 51.3%, the Hornets just 40.2%. Both teams struggled from three-point range. The Spurs got to the free throw line a bit more, but shot a bit worse. The Spurs had the rebounding edge, and a huge 27-12 assists edge. Turnovers were even.

For the Spurs, Duncan (10-of-13) had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. Tony Parker (8-of-12) had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Manu Ginobili (just 5-of-13, 2-of-7 threes) had 15 points and 8 assists. Ime Udoka (5-of-8) came off the bench for 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

For the Hornets, Chris Paul (10-of-16) had 23 points, 6 rebounds, but just 5 assists with 4 turnovers, and 3 steals. David West (awful 4-of-15) had just 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Jannero Pargo scored 11 off the bench. Peja Stojakovic was awful, taking 9 shots for 6 points and literally almost nothing else. Tyson Chandler was invisible with 2 points and 4 rebounds.

The AP reports: The NBA’s defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili scored 31 points each and Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night… Chris Paul, still almost unstoppable, led the Hornets with 35 points and nine assists. David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which was dominant in the first two games of the series… Ginobili, the league’s top sixth man, started for the first time this postseason and led a Spurs charge early in the final quarter. Left alone, he hit a wide-open 3 and was fouled by Bonzi Wells, who scrambled at him to guard the shot. Ginobili’s free throw put San Antonio up 87-82, and another 3 by Ginobili 38 seconds later made it 90-84. New Orleans got within 90-88 before the Spurs took over, playing out the fourth quarter better than they have played all series… Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets’ 3-point sharpshooter, was held to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting as he was guarded by San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen.

The AP reports: Chris Paul had 30 points and 12 assists, leading the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-84 victory Monday night and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven, second-round series. Peja Stojakovic made five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the Hornets, who’ve won both games by wide margins in becoming the first team to put San Antonio in an 0-2 playoff hole since 2001, when the Spurs were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals… After allowing David West to score a career playoff-high 30 points in the series opener, the Spurs held the All-Star power forward to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. But West remained active under the basket with 10 rebounds… Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds and all of his five points, including an alley-oop dunk of Paul’s lob, during a key stretch midway through the fourth quarter when the Hornets prevented San Antonio from getting within single digits. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 18 points and eight rebounds, far better than his miserable Game 1, when he tied a career playoff low with five points and three rebounds. But by the final minutes, Duncan was on the bench, resting his cheek on his hand with a dejected 100-yard stare.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 48.0%, the Spurs 42.5%. The Hornets nailed 10-of-17 three-pointers (Peja Stojakovic hit 5), the Spurs an awful 8-of-27. The Hornets got to the free throw line more, and hit a better percentage. Rebounds and assists were close, but the Spurs had 15 turnovers, the Hornets just 8.

For the Hornets, Chris Paul (11-of-20) had 30 points and 12 assists. Peja Stojakovic (8-of-13, 5-of-7 threes) had 25 points and 6 rebounds. Morris Peterson (5-of-5) scored 12. David West (miserable 2-of-11) had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists (but 4 of the team’s 8 turnovers). Bonzi Wells hit just 1-of-6 off the bench.

For the Spurs, Tim Duncan (6-of-11) had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Brent Barry (4-of-5, all threes) had 14 points and 3 assists in under 18 minutes. Manu Ginobili had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, but 5 turnovers. Tony Parker had a quiet 11 points on awful shooting and as many turnovers as assists.

The AP reports: David West scored a career playoff-high 30 points to lead New Orleans to a 101-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Saturday night. Chris Paul added 17 points, 13 assists and four steals for New Orleans, which trailed by as much as 11 in the first half but stormed into the lead for good in the third quarter… One reason they’re off to such a good start against San Antonio is the way they played defense on Spurs center Tim Duncan. Duncan had what he considered one of the worst games of his stellar career, going 1-of-9 from the field for a career playoff-low five points and only three rebounds. Tyson Chandler was Duncan’s primary defender, but the Hornets also swarmed Duncan with double teams throughout the game, forcing San Antonio to look for points from outside. The Spurs hit 12 3-pointers in the game, but also missed 19. The Hornets dominated the inside, outrebounding San Antonio 50-34 and outscoring the Spurs 46-26 in the paint. The Hornets also shot 50 percent, while the Spurs finished at 40.8 percent.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 50%, the Spurs 40.8%. The Hornets took just 10 three-pointers, making 4, while the Spurs launched 31, hitting 12 (38.7%). Free throw attempts were fairly close, but the Spurs misssed plenty. The Hornets absolutely dominated the glass, getting 50 rebounds, the Spurs just 34. The Hornets had the assists edge, way fewer turnovers, and more steals.

For the Hornets, David West had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Peja Stojakovic had 22 points. Chris Paul on 16 shots had 17 points, 13 assists and 4 steals. Tyson Chandler (4-of-7) had 10 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bonzi Wells scored 10.

For the Spurs, Tony Parker (9-of-17) had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and the same number of assists as turnovers (5). Manu Ginobili off the bench had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Bruce Bowen (5-of-10, every shot was a three-point attempt) had one of his better offensive games with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Mike Finley scored 13. Tim Duncan, in the worst game InsideHoops has ever seen him play, shot 1-of-9 for 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block.