| NBA Basketball | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoreboard | | | Postseason | | | Stats | | | Standings | | | Teams | | | Players | | | Player News | | | Injuries | | | Transactions | | | Home |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spurs-Jazz Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz
- The Spurs have won five straight since controversially sending Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green home instead of having them play at Miami on November 29. San Antonio won 134-126 in overtime at Houston on Monday night, as Gary Neal (29 pts), Tony Parker (27) and Manu Ginobili (22) combined for 78 points.
- Since January 30, 2012, the San Antonio Spurs are an amazing 31-5 (.861) in regular-season road games. The Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all did not play in three of the five losses.
- Utah is on a season-high-tying three game win streak. In its last game the Jazz won at the struggling Lakers 117-110. In its last two games, Utah has averaged 124 points on 51.7 percent shooting from the field.
- Since 2006-07, the Jazz have won seven of the 11 meetings with the Spurs in Utah. The last Spurs at Jazz game was April 9, 2012. The Jazz won 91-84, but the Spurs were again without the services of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
- Tony Parker recorded his first career triple-double on Monday at Houston: 27 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists. Besides Tim Duncan (3 triple-doubles between 1999-00 and 2010-11) Parker is the first San Antonio Spurs' player to record a triple-double since David Robinson actually recorded a quadruple-double on February 17, 1994 vs. Detroit: 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocked shots.
- Mo Williams has had more assists than field-goal attempts in three of his last seven games, which is something he had only done in three of his previous 147 games prior to this recent stretch. Williams is averaging a career-high 7.2 assists per game (previous high was 6.6 in 2010-11 with Cleveland & Los Angeles Clippers).
By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
(AP) -- Nearly two weeks ago, the San Antonio Spurs were fined by the NBA for resting their stars.
Now, they own the best record in the league behind a red-hot Tony Parker.
Parker looks to build on his first career triple-double as the visiting Spurs try for a season-high sixth straight win and to continue their dominance of the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
San Antonio (18-4) has won 10 of 11 with the lone loss the infamous Nov. 29 visit to Miami in which coach Gregg Popovich wound up being fined $250,000 for sending four key players home.
The Spurs haven't lost since, largely thanks to their point guard. Parker has averaged 23.6 points, 8.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor since his night off against the Heat.
The All-Star kept San Antonio rolling Monday, recording his first triple-double by scoring 27 points with 12 assists and 12 boards in a 134-126 overtime victory at Houston.
"I was like: 'Man if we lose, nobody is going to care,'" Parker said of his milestone stat line. "That we won the game it makes it even better, because at the end of the day people only care about wins."
The Spurs have the most road victories in the league, compiling an 11-2 record after winning the first two of this four-game trip, which ends in Portland on Thursday.
No other team has won more than eight away from home.
San Antonio has averaged 133.0 points on 51.6 percent shooting from behind the arc on the first half of the trip, and Gary Neal hit 7 of 10 3-point attempts for a career-high 29 points Monday.
He's scoring 17.1 per game over the past seven.
The Spurs have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Jazz (12-10), including a sweep in the opening round of the playoffs last season.
In the first meeting since, Parker had 24 points and 10 assists in a 110-100 home win Nov. 3. He's averaged 22.1 points over his last 17 meetings with the Jazz, including the postseason.
"He is who he is in this league and he does it every night," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We have to be aggressive with him. We have to give him different looks at different times, have different bodies on him. You have to continue to figure out what's working for him that night."
Containing Parker could give Utah a season-high four game winning streak, and being at home should help.
The Jazz are 8-1 as hosts, though they've dropped five of six there to the Spurs while shooting just 21.6 percent (16 of 74) from beyond the arc.
"We're always comfortable playing at home," guard Mo Williams said. "So it's good to have them on our home floor. There's a comfort level there, but at the end of the day we respect those guys, but we want to win."
Williams had 29 points and nine assists against the Spurs last month after being held to 9.5 points per game off the bench for the Clippers as they, too, were swept out of the playoffs by San Antonio.
The Jazz have managed at least 50 points in the paint in four of their last five games despite being without reserve Derrick Favors.
Favors, who has been battling plantar fasciitis, practiced Tuesday and is considered a game-time decision Wednesday.
Updated December 11, 2012
© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
