Wizards-Spurs Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Feb 02 2013 1:12AM

Tony Parker and the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs haven't lost in over three weeks.

Keeping things going shouldn't prove too difficult against the lowly Washington Wizards.

Looking to stay unbeaten at home since the start of December, San Antonio is expected to get Tim Duncan back from injury as it goes for a 10th consecutive win and 14th in a row over the Wizards on Saturday night.

Parker has been instrumental in helping the Spurs (37-11) climb to the top of the league standings, compiling team highs of 20.1 points and 7.5 assists per game. The five-time All-Star, who's posted seven consecutive 20-point efforts, scored 22 on 9-of-10 shooting Wednesday in a 102-78 rout of Charlotte.

"He did it again," said coach Gregg Popovich, who missed the previous three games due to an illness. "He put it upon himself and he comes up with two big baskets down the stretch. He's really been special."

Parker, whose 53.2 field-goal percentage ranks first among guards, has had to carry an even bigger load over the last four games with Duncan out due to a sore knee, a stretch during which he's averaged 25.0 points on 67.2 percent shooting.

"He's our leader, I'm following him on the court," Duncan said. "He's been unbelievable this year. ... He's consistent, he's getting beat on, people are keying on him and still he's doing what he's doing, it's impressive."

While the Spurs have certainly impressed during their winning streak, their recent efforts at home are all the more astounding. Since falling 92-87 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 19, San Antonio has outscored opponents by an average of 15.4 points in taking 17 straight on its own court.

Unfortunately for the Wizards (11-34), they're plenty familiar with the Spurs' ability to string together wins. Washington has dropped 13 straight in this series by an average of 18.0 points, including a one-sided 118-92 defeat in the nation's capital on Nov. 26.

The Wizards, tied with the Bobcats for the league's worst record, haven't beat the Spurs since limiting Duncan to 11 points on 3-for-18 shooting in a 110-95 win Nov. 12, 2005. Duncan's average of 17.1 points in this series is his second-lowest against any opponent. He's put up just 9.8 per game in his last four against the Wizards, though he hasn't played as many minutes because the games have been so one-sided.

Washington enters this game hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive loss after dropping to 3-20 on the road with Friday's 85-76 defeat at Memphis. Nene had 14 points but was the only player to score in double figures for the Wizards, who were outrebounded 46-31

Washington went 3 for 3 from the free-throw line against the Grizzlies, establishing a new franchise low for attempts.

John Wall left Friday's game in the second quarter with a left shoulder strain but returned to start the second half. His status for Saturday is unknown.

"I was scared," said Wall, who missed the team's first 33 games due to a left patella injury. "I can't catch a break, is all I was thinking. I went back out there and played. I could still feel the pain, but I just tried to play through it."

Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, is averaging just 8.0 points on 31.3 percent shooting in three career games versus San Antonio - his lowest marks against any team.

The Wizards are 0-8 on the road in the second of back-to-backs.

Duncan leaves Spurs win with leg injuries

Posted Feb 03 2013 12:44AM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Tim Duncan was on the floor for several minutes, grabbing his left leg. Then he was helped to the trainer's room by teammates Stephen Jackson and DeJuan Blair.

And just like that, all the excitement for another San Antonio victory was gone.

Duncan sprained his left knee and right ankle in the first half, but the Spurs went on to a 96-86 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night for their 10th consecutive victory.

Tony Parker had 19 points and 12 assists for San Antonio (38-11), which has won 18 straight at home. Danny Green added 15 points and Tiago Splitter scored 12.

Duncan left the locker room without speaking to reporters, but Parker said he talked to his fellow All-Star after the game.

"He's fine, he's fine," Parker said. "It's nothing big. I'm sure (coach Gregg Popovich) is going to be very conscious about his knee and we'll see."

The injury appeared to be much worse when Duncan went down with 3:54 left in the second quarter.

Washington's Martell Webster rolled into the back of Duncan's legs while fighting for a rebound with 3:54 left in the second quarter, and there were audible gasps in the crowd while the two-time NBA MVP was down. Play continued, prompting Popovich to continually scream for a timeout.

"That was scary when you see that," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "Those are always the ones you don't want to see when a guy falls into you while your feet are planted on the ground. I just talked to his doctors and they said he is going to be fine."

Duncan returned to the lineup after missing the past four games with a sore left knee. Recently selected to his 14th All-Star game, Duncan is averaging 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season.

The crowd gave Duncan a loud ovation as he rose and was helped to the trainer's room. The fans than began chanting "Let's Go Spurs" in unison, which seemed to help the team overcome the shock of the injury.

San Antonio closed the first half on an 11-3 run, with Parker scoring two points and picking up two assists, and led 51-26 at the break.

Duncan had eight points and five rebounds in 13 minutes before the injuries, helping San Antonio get off to a fast start.

John Wall scored 21 points and Webster had 14 for Washington (11-35), which has lost 13 straight to San Antonio.

San Antonio used its superior ball movement and rotating defense to dominate Washington from the start.

Green ran in front of Wall to grab the opening tip, sprinting to the basket to throw down a one-handed dunk against the former No. 1 overall pick. San Antonio opened the game with a 15-4 run sparked by Parker and Duncan. The Spurs' All-Stars were a combined 5 for 5 from the field with Parker picking up three assists in the spurt.

Washington shot 35 percent from the field in first quarter and finished at 40 percent overall.

The Wizards battled back in the second half, pulling within six with 8:37 left.

"One half we were ready to play and the second half we got real lackadaisical," Jackson said. "We started clock watching instead of playing defense and they were able to get back into the game and that wasn't acceptable if you all had heard Pop coming in here and screaming."

Wall had 15 points in the second half, Webster added 10 and Nene and Chris Singleton each scored all 11 of their points in the final two quarters.

Jackson refused to blame Duncan's injury for the lack of focus in the second half, but it clearly had an impact.

"That's going on through everybody's mind - `What's happening?"' he said. "To have our best player go down like that holding his knee and ankle is kind of frustrating but we had a game to play. We don't know how long he's going to be out, but we've still got to get the job done regardless of who is out there."

Splitter re-energized the Spurs, scoring on a dunk and a reverse layup to make it 77-67 with 7:28 left. Splitter had six points and two rebounds in the final quarter and Parker added five points and three assists.

"In the second half, we lost our focus and the defense dissipated and that let them get back in the game," Popovich said. "Once again, Tony and Tiago were great. They were steady the entire night. We got it done."

NOTES: Spurs G Manu Ginobili was sidelined by left hamstring tightness. ... Washington F Trevor Booker (sore left wrist) was a late scratch. ... The Wizards have had nine different leading scorers for an individual game, with six in the last 10 games. ... Washington's last win in San Antonio was 99-89 on Dec. 11, 1999. ... Wall was averaging 13.7 points, 6.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds since returning from injury. ... San Antonio was playing its final home game before its annual "Rodeo Road Trip." The Spurs will play nine straight road games while the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo is held at the AT&T Center.

Notebook: Spurs 96, Wizards 86

Tim Price, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:54 PM - Updated Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:54 PM

THE FACTS: Tony Parker scored 19 points and had 12 assists to help the Spurs to a 96-86 victory over Washington, but the Spurs didn't walk away without losing when Tim Duncan went down with an injury in the first half Saturday at AT&T Center. Duncan has a left knee sprain and a right ankle sprain after Washington's Martell Webster fell and rolled behind Duncan and onto his legs.

Duncan was helped from the floor but was able to walk on his own power once he made it through the tunnel. The team had no further news on the severity of the injuries. The Spurs already were playing without Manu Ginobili, who was kept out after experiencing left hamstring tightness during Wednesday's victory over Charlotte.

The Spurs (38-11) have won 10 straight overall and 18 straight at home. San Antonio also got 10 points and 11 rebounds from Kawhi Leonard, 15 points from Danny Green and 12 from Tiago Splitter. San Antonio led by as much as 27.

The Wizards (11-35) were led by 21 points (off 22 shots) from John Wall, who also added nine assists.

QUOTABLE: "[The Duncan injury] was scary. Those are always the ones you don't want to see when a guy falls into you while your feet are planted. I just talked to [the Spurs team] doctors and they said he is going to be fine."
-- Wizards coach Randy Whittman

THE STAT: The Wizards scored a season-low 26 points in the first half, including a season-low nine points in the second quarter (Washington scored 10 points in the second quarter last night at Memphis). But they fought to make a game of it with 30 points in both the third and fourth quarter.

TURNING POINT: Washington had cut San Antonio's 12-point first quarter lead to single digits with seven minutes to go in the first half. Parker had been on the bench to start the second quarter, and when he came back into the game the Spurs outscored the Wizards 20-3 to end the first half.

QUOTABLE II: "To have your best player going down holding his ankle and knee is frustrating. We don't know how long he'll be out, but we've got to get the job done out there; no let ups."
-- Spurs veteran Stephen Jackson

HOT: Parker is 18-for-25 from the floor in his last two games, and he is 58-for-91 (64 percent) during his last seven games.

NOT: During the Wizards' nine-point second quarter they shot 4-for-22 from the floor (18 percent) and 1-for-6 from the foul line.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Parker is averaging 23.4 points and 9.8 assists the last five games.

ROOKIE WATCH: Aron Baynes, formerly at Washington State and recently signed by the Spurs out of the Euro League, was assigned to the D-League affiliate in Austin following his nine-rebound performance last week. He may get a quick call-up now that Duncan is hurt. ... Bradley Beal missed his third straight game for Washington with a right wrist sprain. ... That left point guard Nando De Colo as the only rookie playing, and he had two points, two rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes for the Spurs.

NOTABLE: The 18-game homecourt winning streak for the Spurs is the third longest in franchise history (22 straight during the 2010-11 season is the longest). ... This was the last home game for the Spurs before the "Rodeo Road Trip" begins. The team will play nine away from home and not play in the AT&T Center until Feb. 27, but five of the nine games are against teams that currently have losing records. ... Trevor Booker did not play for Washington because of left wrist soreness. ... Washington took 14 more foul shots than last night in Memphis, but the 8-for-17 showing from the line tonight still could use some brushing up. ... Leonard's 11 rebounds matches a career high. ... The Wizards have lost 14 straight games to the Spurs and 13 in a row in San Antonio (they have never won in the AT&T Center).

UP NEXT: For the Wizards, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. New York, Friday vs. Brooklyn. For the Spurs, Wednesday @ Minnesota, Friday @ Detroit, Sunday @ Brooklyn.

• Wizards: Martin
• Spurs: Baynes, Joseph

• Wizards: Wittman
• Spurs: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #6 Tony Brown, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 18581
• Duration: 2:08