Spurs Update

Well the Spurs' rodeo road-trip ended Thursday night in Denver. Tim and Tony started, after sitting out against Portland Tuesday. The game tipped-off, and we were up about 11-6 when I opened my email and began to read an email. A couple minutes later I looked up to realize we were up 24-7. Doh! I guess I should pay attention - this is my last Spurs game to watch until next Wednesday! Daniel Green had made two back-to-back "and-1's" right after a Kawhi Leonard layup, and a Bonner three. Those 11 points took place in 1:04. We wrapped up the 1st-Q 31-15.

Already with 8 1st-Q points, DeJuan Blair hit another three short ones in the first 3 minutes. Bonner hit two more threes, and Green added one of his own, and just like that our lead was 48-25. I began to notice there didn't seem to be much resistance at all to our interior play. Tony and RJ would each score 5 in the next little set of possessions (58-32). Andre Miller would score Denver's last 9 of the 2nd-Q, but our halftime lead was 65-39.

It seemed as if Denver joined us in scoring almost every time down the floor when the 3rd-Q began. By the time 7 minutes had gone by, the score was already 86-59. The starters
Image Source (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

stayed consistent, and Bonner added another three. Our max lead was around this point at 24 (92-68), a bit before the end of the 3rd: 92-72.

Including the last minute of the 3rd, the Nuggets would go on a 17-5 run to close to 97-85 with 6:41 left. Corey Brewer and Aaron Afflalo led this surge, but Pop would bring Tim & Tony back. We would hold a 14-pt. lead long enough (about 3:30) that at 107-93, the time became the issue for Denver. We sealed the 114-99 WIN, feeling like the score was closer than it felt. DeJuan had a monster game - leading us with 28 & 12, and we had another 5 players in double figures.

The stat of the game, however, was 29 Spurs' assists on 41 buckets, which is a season high for us. Not only that, but the 8-1 road trip ties both our best-ever mark for the yearly road-trip, and the NBA record for a road-trip of 9 or more games. Here's the boxscore.

Now, FIVE full days off for everyone except Tony & Kawhi Leonard. As it turned out, Kawhi must've tweaked a calf muscle shortly before the Rising Stars Challenge, because he dressed, but was "held out" for the injury. Next up is the Chicago Bulls to begin a 7-game home stand after the all-star break.. nothing at all wrong with a 24-10 record at this point!