El Conclusion: San Antonio Spurs 112, Los Angeles Lakers 91

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San Antonio Spurs 112 Final

Recap | Box Score

 91 Los Angeles Lakers
Tim Duncan, C 35 MIN | 9-14 FG | 1-1 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 19 PTS | +26If Tim Duncan did not have the basketball world’s attention before, he has it now. Over the past few games Duncan has run roughshod over Marcin Gortat, Andrew Bynum, and both Gasols. Tonight he capped it off with another vintage Duncan dunk, and helped keep Andrew Bynums off the boards.
Kawhi Leonard, SF 18 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | +1Got a little bullied by the much stronger Metta World Peace at times. No shame in that. Part of an army of long-armed, big wings that help close the gap on some of the size disadvantages by shrinking passing lanes and helping on the glass.
Tiago Splitter, C 18 MIN | 2-3 FG | 1-5 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -8Set solid screens, which free ball handlers. Duncan and Splitter together isn’t quite the size neutralizer many think it will be, Gasol and Bynum are just better. But with that second unit Splitter has a home that accentuates his contributions beyond his box score stats.
Tony Parker, PG 31 MIN | 14-20 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 13 AST | 29 PTS | +17Wow. Just wow. Quite possibly the most impressive performance in a season full of them. Tony Parker showed full mastery of the point guard position tonight, slowing down on the fast break to allow teammates to get back into the play and create an advantage, manipulating screens to force a mismatch, and flat out scoring from every spot on the floor. Did you see that open floor crossover on Steve Blake? He was gold mic’d up as well.
Daniel Green, G 24 MIN | 4-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 11 PTS | +14A quiet 11 points for Green to go with quiet contributions on defense.
Stephen Jackson, SG 25 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +6Charles Barkley called Stephen Jackson the piece that put the Spurs over the top. Tonight he showed some physical defense, meeting dribble penetration chest to chest and turning it away, and another aggressive slasher from the perimeter.
Matt Bonner, PF 24 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 5 PTS | +3Hit some shots, tied for the team lead in rebounds, and held up reasonably in the post on defense. Valuable minutes from Matt Bonner.
Boris Diaw, PF 19 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 4 PTS | +21Made Pau Gasol work, though the Spaniard’s length prevailed more often than not. The off the dribble spin move was beautiful, and the floor game is appreciated.
Manu Ginobili, SG 26 MIN | 6-13 FG | 2-4 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 15 PTS | +23Despite some at times atrocious shot selection, still ended up shooting a respectable shot percentage and contributing a little bit everywhere. It’s an interesting dual identity Manu Ginobili exhibits, shifting between all out superstar and supremely talented role player. In either guise, Ginobili makes the Spurs dangerous at all times.
Gary Neal, PG 14 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | +5Had a stretch where he single-handily destroyed the Lakers back court, showing some impressive hesitation dribbles and a variety of different shots not normally associated with a shooting specialist.
James Anderson, SG 2 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -2Hit a three-pointer.

Five Things We Saw

  1. The Spurs started, for the first time this season, Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter together. The alignment did not last very long and was not revisited again. For what it’s worth, Gasol still had an easy time pulling Splitter away and hitting shots while the offense wasn’t spectacular on the other end. The alignment did feature plenty of solid screens that offer some intriguing possibilities. Overall though, Boris Diaw starting and keeping Splitter in the second unit makes sense.
  2. Gregg Popovich also tipped his hand somewhat in regards to a possible playoff rotation against a team like the Lakers. Look for the three heavy lifters on the frontline to be Duncan, Splitter, and Bonner, with Boris Diaw filling in as needed. DeJuan Blair was notably absent.
  3. The Spurs still have pretty much the same front court as last year, but don’t discount the upgrade in size along the wings. Those long arms and quick feet help shrink passing lanes and assist big men on the glass. The Spurs were able to slow the front court by deflecting a number of passes and stepping in front of cutters at the rim.
  4. “That’s the retirement of the lob for you, we’ll try again next year,” Tony Parker to Danny Green after Green failed to elevate on a lob pass. Parker was mic’d up and was absolutely brilliant at times.
  5. The difference between these Spurs and a team like the peak Suns is that these Spurs are extremely deep in shooting and playmaking. Every player on the team, except for Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair, can create a shot for himself and others. Also, Gregg Popovich is your coach of the year.
  • Rohan

    Great win. Interesting to see Duncan and Splitter together, like you said. But the outcome was favorable 😀

    Supporting the Spurs all the way from India. :)

  • TDzilla!

    We are undefeated when Tim and Tiago starts together!

  • SpurredOn

    Hope this game serves as a reminder to those who overreacted last week: one game is still one, single result. What I most like is how this Spurs team very much wanted to correct their low energy, unfocused effort from last week. They were embarrassed and played as though this game had meaning. That is resulted in a blowout in the Lakers’ arena shows just how mentally not present they were last time out.

  • grego

    I think Pop got the final push from the second half of the Grizz game where he didn’t play Blair at all. I’m curious to see if Pop switches the starting lineup for just certain teams in the post season. that would be interesting.

  • Junierizzle

    I have to apologize to my man TP. I said he shriveled up last week. It turns out he just wasn’t focused. He looked zoned in right before tip-off.

    I loved Green On Sessions, Diaw on Gasol, Jackson on Metta and TD on Bynum. I think the Spurs showed the blue print on how to beat the Lakers. Play Bynum straight up and double after he commits to a move. Play Gasol Straight up too. And when Kobe comes back play him straight up too. Lakers still have the worst bench in the league. Their bench showed their true colors without all those open looks.

  • Junierizzle

    And TP is pretty funny out on the court.

  • LPspursFan

    imo the team looked good; no, they looked real good. i liked everything i saw. i liked the way they fought. i liked the way they hustled. i liked the way they scored from up and down the roster. i liked the look in Tony’s eyes. i liked what Matt Bonner brought; that’s one tough ginger. i liked that it was a nationally televised game and that Barkley and Shaq argued over who called the Spurs coming out of the West first (conveniently, soon after the Spurs climbed to the No. 1 seed; big leap, guys). i liked that Pop saved DB and Patty Mills (4 minutes) for Sacramento and only had to sparingly use Tiago (18 mins), Boris (19) and Gary Neal (14) – oh, and James Anderson (2) should Pop feel like throwing him into the mix against the Kings.

    i’m curious to see who all Pop holds out tonight; Timmy (35) and Tony (31) led in minutes, and Manu only had 26. i’m curious to see what the debate is concerning the Spurs on First Take tomorrow. i’m curious to see if we can secure our second sweep of a B2B2B this season.

    and i’m so ready for the playoffs. concerning the No. 1 seed, i felt like if we never overtook OKC, no big deal; the No. 2 seed was just as good. but once we tied and led by percentage points, i then felt like we needed to go ahead and keep it in order to make a statement. i think tonight goes a long way toward cementing No. 1; with a 1-game advantage in the loss column and ownership of the tiebreaker, even if OKC wins out (games remaining at Lakers and home vs Nuggets) the Spurs could lose once. their magic number is four (combination of Spurs wins and OKC losses). i like their chances.

    sorry for the long post, but i was just pretty pumped up. Go Spurs! Go!!!

  • NYC

    This may be slightly off on a tangent, but…
    “3. The Spurs still have pretty much the same front court as last year, but don’t discount the upgrade in size along the wings.”

    Not true! The Spurs had half a Tiago last year, whereas now they have a whole one, and Boris Diaw is no substitute for Antonio McDyess. McDyess was money in the bank with that 20 ft jumper. Now it’s Duncan running the pick and pop with our guards, coupled with Tiago’s presence in the post, so how we play our bigs has changed a bit. I haven’t seen too much Diaw, but I gotta believe McDyess was a better defender even in his old age. And let’s not forget that DeJuan is really down in his rebounding numbers this year. The only big who is still the same is Matt Bonner. And even he surprised us by slamming one down the other night. “Throw it down, big man. Throw it down!”

    But I do agree that the major difference this year is the upgrade in wings. Jackson is exactly what we thought we would get: questionable shot selection, intense defense, aggressive slasher. Someone said “addition by subtraction” at the time of the trade and I have to agree. Having Leonard take Jefferson’s role has been a revelation. This kid is fo’ real. And then there’s the added surprise of Danny Green, this year’s Gary Neal. Fellas, I really like this team. If we can stay healthy, we ___could_____go_____all_____the_______way.

  • Deeds130

    Awesome game. When 48MoH retired the old website design, I changed my handle here to my Disqus name… Timmy’s play is making me regret that move. I used to wear my heart on my sleeve, posting here under the name “td4life.” Now, Disqus is AWOL, and TD’s playing like it’s a contract year, or something! Give him whatever he wants next summer, RC!

    Tony has had plenty of good games against LAL throughout his career. We need his best if we meet for a series… they remain our toughest matchup in the West, and are resting Bryant with no fear of meeting us in round 2 as the #4 seed should we hold onto the #1 seed. I think we will finish #1, since the next LA rematch is our biggest threat for a regular season loss, and as long as we don’t drop a dumb game to SAC or PHX, we can take one loss and still finish atop the WC (due to the OKC tie-breaker, as we all know). In the event of such a series I’d expect Brown to put KB, Artest, and/or Barnes on our star guards, and let Sessions/Blake get mismatched on Defense… that could mean a bigger need for Jax, Neal, and Green to handle the ball, but we’ll still need “MVP Tony” to show up.

    @Grego- yeah, pretty certain Pop will use a deep roster in the playoffs, including some varied starting lineups, and quite a few guys getting DNPs here and there.

  • NYC

    If we win the next two games, I see the big three spending a lot of time sitting court side for the rest of the season. I don’t think Popovich cares a whit about getting top seed. Once second seed is in hand, we will be in full “take it easy” mode. I hope Dallas stays in 7th place so we can have the honor of ushering them out of the playoffs.

  • supportingtheSpurs

    I posted this on ESPN’s DIME on the Spurs/Lakers game by J.A. Adande. I’d love for him to actually acknowledge his shortcomings as an nba “expert”

    For years now the San Antonio Spurs have been a well managed, consistently good basketball team. You and the other “experts” typically do not give credit where credit is due. The Spurs earn what they get, win or lose. When they earn, yes earn, a win against a team like the Lakers, you are still able to spin the story around and not give credit to the Spurs. Skip Bayless is practically made fun of by the other analysts for accurately describing how the Spurs play and, get this, win. Why not give that a try in one of your articles for a change, or do the Spurs need to relocate to Los Angeles to get any kind of credit from you? Either way it’s pathetic that “experts” like yourself continue to show complete and total bias towards specific franchises. I don’t understand how “experts” have continuously missed mentioning that the Spurs do one thing better than almost anyone else, that is control the tempo of the game. They force the other team to play to the Spurs’ strengths without them even realizing it until it’s too late. They don’t actually play one style of basketball, they play the way that works for them and not their opponent. If that means speeding up or slowing down, they will do what is necessary. They have been doing this for years. So this “sudden” change of pace is nothing new. Want an example? Look at the Spurs/Suns playoff series from the 04-05 playoffs. That was during the peak of their DEFENSIVE years. They adjusted and used a different type of tempo to their advantage. Nothing new to Spurs fans, only to those that barely glance at them.

  • Justinray

    so your saying you wanna play a game 7 in okc??? gtfoh

    believe it or not home court IS in pops mind… maybe not priority, but its there

  • http://48minutesofhell.com Jesse Blanchard

    The Spurs would like the first seed, they will compete for it. But they’re not going out of their way to get it.

  • Matthew

    Does anyone know if the Kings plan on tanking tonight?

  • Chris

    In my mind, Spurs SHOULD compete for #1. Look at the 1/8 matchup vs. the 2/7. Currently, Dallas is #7, and Phoenix, I believe, #8?

    I don’t care about Dallas’ record, it’s still Dallas; they will not be an easy out.

    Phoenix on the other hand, we could steamroll in 4-5 games.

  • Tyler

    As a former Spurs guy, I root for Mike Brown. But I cannot for the life of me understand why LA wants to make Pau Gasol a jumpshooter. He took 3 shots in the paint last night. 3!?!?! (He made them all not coincidentally, outside the paint he was 5/12). It was until 7:03 IN THE SECOND QTR that he even attempted a shot in the paint.

    In a league devoid of talented, back-to-the-basket scorers, he’s easily one of the best, while also one of the best passing big men. You would think you’d utilize him in the paint, let him direct traffic, force double teams, etc. Yet, LA is content on him floating on the perimeter, hoisting jumpers. Every time he shoots a jumper, he lets the defense off the hook. I was amazed last night.

  • Colin

    Where’s trade TP lately??????

  • Zach R.

    On a side note: I loved seeing Jack get into Blake’s face after that near-flagrant on Manu. That right there is the reason Timmy referred to him as “the ultimate teammate”.

  • RawJa777

    Splitter started on Gasol and Duncan was on Bynum. Gasol scored only 2 points (on a contested jumpshot) early on and Bynum got a few gimmes. Very few rebounds for their bigs early on. After that, their frontcourt wasn’t the same. The floor opened up for our guys, and Tony/Manu were able to get isolated and to the rim at will. The wing players had space to operate on both ends and started to dominate with open looks and easy steals. I’m not following the “Splitter shouldn’t start” (versus the Lakers) argument. In this matchup, if you SLOW down their frontcourt early on it will pay dividends as the game goes on. That’s exactly what happened last night.

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Len

    I am not a Bonner fan. I don’t want to get involved in the never ending debate that lives on this blog. But with that said, Bonner played a nice game last night. He actually made a pull up jumper, hit a 3, rebounded decent and with the exception of the one play he got lost when switching, he played decent defense.

    Too bad he can’t do it in the playoffs. Prove me wrong Matty; plz prove me wrong.

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Len

    World Peace is a bully on the court. Leonard was a bit outmatched physically against him but then Pop put Wacko Jacko on him. I enjoyed seeing him and Peace go at it.

    If the Capt. wasn’t on the Spurs, who here thinks RJ could match up with Metta in the post? Anyone? Buehler? Jacko means so much more to this team, esp in playoff type basketball, than RJ ever did.

  • Justinray

    well said Len

  • dmplayer

    Last post is RIGHT ON! Splitter must start for defensive purposes. Our offense is too good and will come around most every game. You can’texpect to have to double every time down while bynum and gasol can lick their chops one on one, or kick out to their subpar players. They are still nba players and will make shots if they are wide open, they just should’t get those looks

  • NYC

    Come on, guys. Look at our remaining schedule:
    SAC, LAL, CLE, POR, PHX, GS.

    You really think Pop is gonna get out the big guns for those last four teams?? This is Popovich we’re talking about. If we win the next two, the big guns will be holstered. I’m not saying all three will be sitting court side at the same time, just two on any given night.

    As you guys said, we’ll compete for the 1 seed, just not too hard. Four of the remaining six teams we can play without any of the big three and still be competitive. I expect one of the big three to stay on the court. Popovich will do the bare minimum in going for 1 seed. His priority is to preserve the big three and not risk an injury.

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  • Bruno

    Just like i said last season, Tiago not playing with TD was/is a huge mistake. Even playing really bad Spliter still made a impact, at the end of the first half in L.A Bynum had just 2 boards, in San Antonio he had 19.

    Hope Pop did open his eyes and will start Spliter or Diaw with Timmy.

  • kris

    Manu deserves a C-. He was chucking up shots, missing free throws, and just standing there playing no defense while his man scored. He did do some good things in the game to where it at least balanced it out for a while.

  • Bankshot21

    I want the Spurs to win out. We do have an active 50+ win season record. Where most thought it was in jeopardy here we are in contention to win 50 games…..AGAIN

  • TD = BestEVER

    Sorry Bruno - Tiago had practically ZERO impact on Bynum last night…..That was all TD……. Splitter got in early foul trouble with Gasol and that was about the extent of his impact……..If TD had guarded Bynum the 1st game we would have gotten a different result…….

  • Titletown99030507d

    No your wrong TDBE, Splitter did a way better job on either of the two than
    Blair has ever had that’s why Blair didn’t play. Not to mention Bynum’s low number of rebounds early on because of that lineup also Splitter is the best screener on the team opening lanes period! Allowing guys like Manu to get to the rim from the arc and score at will. Sorry.

  • Justinray

    tdbestever is wrong most of the time, he just likes to think hes right.

    theres more to having an impact than just what stats show

  • http://cesc-pistol.blogspot.com tailgunner

    Just in case anyone is interested in a Duncan-Kobe debate: http://cesc-pistol.blogspot.com/2012/04/tim-duncan-is-better-than-kobe-bryant.html