Pounding The Rock - Full Coverage: San Antonio Spurs @ Minnesota Timberwolves
For all your Manu Ginobili loving and San Antonio Spurs news
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2015-01-11T16:25:13-06:00
http://www.poundingtherock.com/rss/stream/7286136
2015-01-11T16:25:13-06:00
2015-01-11T16:25:13-06:00
Spurs' defensive rebounding defanged the Wolves
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ccTl4DC-X2aFuQjcP-dWIJYZOZM=/0x0:3129x2086/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45196814/usa-today-8324244.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Spurs had a great night on the defensive glass and contested the Timberwolves' shots to get an easy win on the road.</p> <h1>
<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> 108, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canishoopus.com/">Timberwolves</a> 93 - Jan 10, '15</h1>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="gameFlow"></section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Spurs took care of business against the Timberwolves despite the absences of <span>Manu Ginobili</span> , <span>Marco Belinelli</span> and Kawhi Leonard. San Antonio got the lead in the final minutes of the first quarter and never looked back, controlling the game from then on and holding Minesota at arm's length to win their fourth game out of the last five. As it has been the case lately, there were some troubles closing it but the Spurs didn't collapse and got the victory on the second game of a back-to-back with Duncan and Parker playing under 30 minutes.</p>
<h2>Four Factors <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/factors.html" style="font-size: 0.6em; font-weight:normal;" title='The "Four Factors" are a measure of how teams win games, as identified by Dean Oliver. Click here to read more.'>(def.)</a>
</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="stats">
<table style="width: auto;" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed sbn-data-table" id="fourFactors">
<tbody>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Spurs</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Shooting (eFG%)</td>
<td align="right"><strong>52%</strong></td>
<td align="right">41%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Ball Handling (TO%)</td>
<td align="right"><strong>13%</strong></td>
<td align="right">13%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Off Rebounding (OR%)</td>
<td align="right"><strong>21%</strong></td>
<td align="right">16%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Shooting FTs (FT Rate)</td>
<td align="right">24%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>32%</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Spurs had a clear edge on two of the four factors, surprisingly taking the offensive rebounding category. <span>Gregg Popovich</span> has traditionally not put much emphasis on crashing the offensive glass and this season's team is no exception. They rank 23rd in in the league in offensive rebound percentage.</p>
<p>The curious thing is the 21 percent they logged on Saturday is actually smaller than the 23.4 percent they average for the season. So it's not that the Spurs had an unusually good offensive rebounding game. They had an exceptional defensive rebounding game, holding a Timberwolves team that ranks seventh in offensive rebounding to a well below average night despite there being plenty of chances to chase misses. Only <span>Gorgui Dieng</span> made some damage but his five offensive boards were not enough to make up for a terrible shooting night for Minnesota.</p>
<h2>Team Stats <i style="font-size: 0.7em; font-weight:normal;">(Definitions at bottom of post)</i>
</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="stats">
<table style="width: auto;" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed sbn-data-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="70"><b>Spurs</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="70"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Pace (No. of Possessions)</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">97.1</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Points Per Possession (PPP)</td>
<td align="right">1.11</td>
<td align="right">0.96</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Points Per Shot (PPS)</td>
<td align="right">1.29</td>
<td align="right">1.15</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>2-PT FG%</td>
<td title="32/60" align="right">53.3%</td>
<td title="29/66" align="right">43.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>3-PT FG%</td>
<td title="9/24" align="right">37.5%</td>
<td title="3/15" align="right">20.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>FT%</td>
<td title="17/20" align="right">85.0%</td>
<td title="26/26" align="right">100.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2092829_calculate-true-shooting-percentage-basketball.html" target="_blank">True Shooting %</a></td>
<td align="right">58.2%</td>
<td align="right">50.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td colspan="3"></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="70"><b>Spurs<br></b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="70"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="Points per 100 possessions">Offensive Rating</td>
<td align="right">112.7</td>
<td align="right">94.5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="Points allowed per 100 possessions">Defensive Rating</td>
<td align="right">94.5</td>
<td align="right">112.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Net Rating</td>
<td align="right">18.3</td>
<td align="right">-18.3</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td></td>
<td align="right"></td>
<td align="right"></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Spurs</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Passes / poss.</td>
<td align="right">3.5</td>
<td align="right">3.0</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="What percentage of a team's field goal attempts are uncontested: contested FGA / total FGA">% of FGA uncontested</td>
<td align="right">46.4%</td>
<td align="right">32.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Points in the paint</td>
<td align="right">46</td>
<td align="right">50</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Second chance points</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Fast break points</td>
<td align="right">19</td>
<td align="right">16</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td></td>
<td align="right"></td>
<td align="right"></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Spurs</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Assists</td>
<td align="right">21</td>
<td align="right">17</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Steals</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Turnovers</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">13</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>
<u>B</u>all <u>C</u>ontrol <u>I</u>ndex (BCI)<br><i>(Assists + Steals) / TO</i>
</td>
<td align="right">2.73</td>
<td align="right">1.85</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td></td>
<td align="right"></td>
<td align="right"></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Spurs</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Timberwolves</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="How many offensive rebounds an average rebounding team could expect to grab, based off the number of opportunities in a game">Expected Offensive Rebounds</td>
<td align="right">11.0</td>
<td align="right">10.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Offensive Rebounds</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Difference</td>
<td align="right">-2.0</td>
<td align="right">-3.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Timberwolves' offensive struggles can be boiled down to two stats: Their low true shooting percentage, which obviously signals they don't have good scorers yet, but also the percentage of uncontested looks they got. Close shots tend to be contested while outside shots, especially three-pointers, tend to be uncontested more often. Their 32.1 percent of uncontested shots signals an over reliance on shots close to the basket. The two problems are beautifully illustrated by their shot chart:</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Wolves shot chart" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J2XzAgkRGYKme9K1B4jTgoc5XdA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2924050/Wolves_shot_chart.0.jpeg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>The Timberwolves took only 15 three-pointers, which is actually very close to the 14.8 three-point attempts they take on average. The Spurs, on the other hand, average 21.9 threes a game and took 24 on the night. The outside shot is a key component to good modern offenses and the Wolves should look to make it a bigger part of their game plan. Unfortunately, coach Flip Saunders might not be the right guy for the job and I doubt GM Flip Saunders replaces him with a more forward-thinking coach.</p>
<p>Fun fact: the Timberwolves joined the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> as the only two teams to have perfect nights from the line on more than 20 free throws. The Spurs are usually good at defending without fouling but the Wolves are one of the best teams in the league at drawing contact, ranking sixth in total free throw attempts. It was a good thing they couldn't buy a three and the Spurs had an efficient game from the line as well because a night like that from the charity stripe could have meant trouble for San Antonio otherwise.</p>
<h2>Players <i style="font-size: 0.7em; font-weight:normal;">(Definitions at bottom of post, columns sortable)</i>
</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="stats players-container">
<h4>Spurs</h4>
<table role="grid" style="width: auto;" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed players tablesorter tablesorter-default sbn-data-table" id="players-us">
<thead>
<tr role="row" class="ui-state-even tablesorter-headerRow">
<td aria-label="Player: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="0" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Player<br></b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Min: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="1" title="Minutes played" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Min</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="AdjGS: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="2" title="AdjGS: a take-off of the Game Score metric from basketball-reference.com accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's 'score' for a given game. The 'adjustment' in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket." style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>AdjGS</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="GS/Min: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="3" title="AdjGS per minute" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>GS/Min</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Line: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="4" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Line</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Usage%: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="5" title="This estimates the % of team possessions a player consumes while on the floor (via basketball-reference.com). The usage of those possessions is determined via a formula using field goal and free throw attempts, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. The higher the number, the more prevalent a player is (good or bad) in a team's offensive outcome." style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Usage%</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Floor%: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="6" title='Floor % answers the question, "when Player X uses a possession, what is the probability that his team scores at least 1 point?". The higher the Floor%, the more frequently the team probably scores when the given player is involved.' style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Floor%</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="OffRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="7" title="Points per 100 possessions while player is on floor" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>OffRtg</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="DefRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="8" title="Points allowed per 100 possessions while player is on floor" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>DefRtg</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="NetRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-us" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="9" title="Offensive Rating - Defensive Rating" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>NetRtg</b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody aria-relevant="all" aria-live="polite">
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Austin Daye</span></td>
<td align="right">36</td>
<td align="right">23.3</td>
<td align="right">0.65</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">22 Pts (8-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-2 FT) </span> 10 Reb (2 Off), 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO, 4 PF</td>
<td align="right">19%</td>
<td align="right">62%</td>
<td align="right">113.8</td>
<td align="right"><strong>84.2</strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>29.6</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Patty Mills</span></td>
<td align="right">26</td>
<td align="right">20.4</td>
<td align="right">0.78</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">19 Pts (7-11 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-4 FT) </span> 2 Reb (1 Off), 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 PF</td>
<td align="right">22%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>72%</strong></td>
<td align="right">109.6</td>
<td align="right">94.1</td>
<td align="right">15.5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Cory Joseph</span></td>
<td align="right">27</td>
<td align="right">17.8</td>
<td align="right">0.65</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">12 Pts (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT) </span> 2 Reb (0 Off), 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO</td>
<td align="right">17%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>69%</strong></td>
<td align="right">116.1</td>
<td align="right">98.1</td>
<td align="right">18.0</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Tim Duncan</span></td>
<td align="right">21</td>
<td align="right">14.6</td>
<td align="right">0.70</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">13 Pts (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT) </span> 6 Reb (0 Off), 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO, 1 PF</td>
<td align="right">21%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>69%</strong></td>
<td align="right">114.6</td>
<td align="right"><strong>76.6</strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>38.0</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Danny Green</span></td>
<td align="right">30</td>
<td align="right">9.9</td>
<td align="right">0.33</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">7 Pts (2-6 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT) </span> 5 Reb (0 Off), 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">11%</td>
<td align="right">58%</td>
<td align="right">115.9</td>
<td align="right">97.1</td>
<td align="right">18.9</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Boris Diaw</span></td>
<td align="right">32</td>
<td align="right">7.0</td>
<td align="right">0.22</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">11 Pts (5-15 FG, 1-3 3PT ) </span> 5 Reb (2 Off), 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO, 3 PF</td>
<td align="right">23%</td>
<td align="right">37%</td>
<td align="right">105.4</td>
<td align="right">105.6</td>
<td align="right">-0.2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Tiago Splitter</span></td>
<td align="right">17</td>
<td align="right">6.3</td>
<td align="right">0.37</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">7 Pts (2-7 FG, 3-4 FT) </span> 4 Reb (2 Off), 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 Stl, 1 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">27%</td>
<td align="right">41%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>121.0</strong></td>
<td align="right">108.6</td>
<td align="right">12.5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Tony Parker</span></td>
<td align="right">25</td>
<td align="right">5.8</td>
<td align="right">0.23</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">12 Pts (5-11 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT) </span> 5 Reb (0 Off), 1 Ast, 3 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">27%</td>
<td align="right">42%</td>
<td align="right">107.0</td>
<td align="right">102.7</td>
<td align="right">4.3</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Matt Bonner</span></td>
<td align="right">22</td>
<td align="right">3.4</td>
<td align="right">0.16</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">5 Pts (2-7 FG, 1-4 3PT ) </span> 4 Reb (2 Off), 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">18%</td>
<td align="right">29%</td>
<td align="right">112.1</td>
<td align="right">92.3</td>
<td align="right">19.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Kyle Anderson</span></td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0.4</td>
<td align="right">0.15</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">0 Pts </span> 1 Reb (0 Off),</td>
<td align="right">0%</td>
<td align="right">0%</td>
<td align="right">116.3</td>
<td align="right"><strong>82.9</strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>33.3</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Aron Baynes</span></td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">-0.9</td>
<td align="right">-0.41</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">0 Pts </span> 1 Reb (0 Off), 1 TO</td>
<td align="right">17%</td>
<td align="right">0%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>136.1</strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>57.1</strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>78.9</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h4><a style="font-size: 0.8em;" href="#" id="showOpponentPlayers">Show Timberwolves Players</a></h4>
<table role="grid" style="width: auto; display: none;" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed players tablesorter tablesorter-default sbn-data-table" id="players-them">
<thead>
<tr role="row" class="ui-state-even tablesorter-headerRow">
<td aria-label="Player: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="0" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Player<br></b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Min: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="1" title="Minutes played" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Min</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="AdjGS: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="2" title="AdjGS: a take-off of the Game Score metric from basketball-reference.com accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's 'score' for a given game. The 'adjustment' in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket." style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>AdjGS</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="GS/Min: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="3" title="AdjGS per minute" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>GS/Min</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Line: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="4" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Line</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Usage%: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="5" title="This estimates the % of team possessions a player consumes while on the floor (via basketball-reference.com). The usage of those possessions is determined via a formula using field goal and free throw attempts, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. The higher the number, the more prevalent a player is (good or bad) in a team's offensive outcome." style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Usage%</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="Floor%: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="6" title='Floor % answers the question, "when Player X uses a possession, what is the probability that his team scores at least 1 point?". The higher the Floor%, the more frequently the team probably scores when the given player is involved.' style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>Floor%</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="OffRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="7" title="Points per 100 possessions while player is on floor" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>OffRtg</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="DefRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="8" title="Points allowed per 100 possessions while player is on floor" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>DefRtg</b></div>
</td>
<td aria-label="NetRtg: No sort applied, activate to apply an ascending sort" aria-sort="none" unselectable="on" aria-controls="players-them" aria-disabled="false" role="columnheader" scope="col" tabindex="0" class="tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" data-column="9" title="Offensive Rating - Defensive Rating" style="text-align: center; -webkit-user-select: none;">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><b>NetRtg</b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody aria-relevant="all" aria-live="polite">
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td>Gorgui Dieng</td>
<td align="right">31</td>
<td align="right">32.1</td>
<td align="right">1.04</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">18 Pts (7-11 FG, 4-4 FT) </span> 12 Reb (5 Off), 1 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 Stl, 1 PF</td>
<td align="right">19%</td>
<td align="right"><strong>73%</strong></td>
<td align="right">90.6</td>
<td align="right">114.2</td>
<td align="right">-23.6</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Zach LaVine</span></td>
<td align="right">26</td>
<td align="right">16.3</td>
<td align="right">0.62</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">19 Pts (7-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-4 FT) </span> , 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO, 3 PF</td>
<td align="right"><strong>34%</strong></td>
<td align="right">52%</td>
<td align="right">97.2</td>
<td align="right">121.5</td>
<td align="right">-24.3</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Andrew Wiggins</span></td>
<td align="right">37</td>
<td align="right">13.8</td>
<td align="right">0.37</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">18 Pts (5-11 FG, 8-8 FT) </span> 3 Reb (0 Off), 2 Ast, 4 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">22%</td>
<td align="right">51%</td>
<td align="right">93.2</td>
<td align="right">107.9</td>
<td align="right">-14.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Mo Williams</span></td>
<td align="right">32</td>
<td align="right">9.0</td>
<td align="right">0.28</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">10 Pts (2-10 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-5 FT) </span> 4 Reb (0 Off), 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">22%</td>
<td align="right">41%</td>
<td align="right">92.1</td>
<td align="right">116.2</td>
<td align="right">-24.2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Robbie Hummel</span></td>
<td align="right">25</td>
<td align="right">8.3</td>
<td align="right">0.33</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">9 Pts (4-8 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-1 FT) </span> 3 Reb (1 Off), 1 Stl, 1 TO, 1 PF</td>
<td align="right">17%</td>
<td align="right">46%</td>
<td align="right">102.9</td>
<td align="right">105.7</td>
<td align="right">-2.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Anthony Bennett</span></td>
<td align="right">25</td>
<td align="right">3.5</td>
<td align="right">0.14</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">6 Pts (2-7 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-2 FT) </span> 6 Reb (0 Off), 3 PF</td>
<td align="right">15%</td>
<td align="right">39%</td>
<td align="right">87.7</td>
<td align="right">114.5</td>
<td align="right">-26.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Thaddeus Young</span></td>
<td align="right">24</td>
<td align="right">3.2</td>
<td align="right">0.14</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">4 Pts (2-8 FG, 0-1 3PT ) </span> 5 Reb (0 Off), 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right">15%</td>
<td align="right">32%</td>
<td align="right">101.5</td>
<td align="right">111.0</td>
<td align="right">-9.5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Troy Daniels</span></td>
<td align="right">14</td>
<td align="right">2.7</td>
<td align="right">0.19</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">3 Pts (1-3 FG, 1-3 3PT ) </span> 2 Reb (0 Off), 2 Ast, 1 TO, 1 PF</td>
<td align="right">13%</td>
<td align="right">37%</td>
<td align="right">106.3</td>
<td align="right">94.5</td>
<td align="right">11.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td><span>Miroslav Raduljica</span></td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">2.1</td>
<td align="right">0.37</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">4 Pts (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT) </span> 1 Reb (0 Off), 1 TO, 2 PF</td>
<td align="right"><strong>32%</strong></td>
<td align="right">52%</td>
<td align="right">97.4</td>
<td align="right">134.7</td>
<td align="right">-37.3</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even" role="row">
<td><span>Chase Budinger</span></td>
<td align="right">18</td>
<td align="right">1.0</td>
<td align="right">0.05</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">2 Pts (1-6 FG, 0-1 3PT ) </span> 5 Reb (1 Off), 1 Stl, 1 PF</td>
<td align="right">15%</td>
<td align="right">16%</td>
<td align="right">83.9</td>
<td align="right">118.0</td>
<td align="right">-34.1</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd" role="row">
<td>Glenn Robinson</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0.8</td>
<td align="right">0.34</td>
<td align="left">
<span class="player-points">0 Pts (0-1 FG, ) </span> 1 Reb (0 Off), 1 Stl,</td>
<td align="right">12%</td>
<td align="right">0%</td>
<td align="right">82.9</td>
<td align="right">116.3</td>
<td align="right">-33.3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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</section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Austin Daye game! Daye is not shy about pulling the trigger and this time his shots were finding the bottom of the net. He didn't do much asides from scoring efficiently and pulling down boards but it was enough to take the top spot on adjusted game score. Patty Mills had a better game score per minute and Tim Duncan had the best net rating out of all players involved but we'll let Daye have this one.</p>
<p>As for the Wolves, Gorgui Dieng showed off his finishing ability to end the game with a floor percentage of 78 percent, meaning good things happened when he was involved in plays. Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins also had good performances, showing that Minnesota's core has promise. They just need to ride out the season and add another good prospect and they will be on their way to becoming dangerous again.</p>
<h2 title='The Spurs Index is a just-for-fun formula that attempts to quantify just how "Spursy" a particular game is.'>Spurs Index: 100.1 <a href="#spursIndexDef" style="font-size: 0.7em; font-style:italic;">(def.)</a>
</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="stats">
<table style="width: auto;" id="spursIndex" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed spursIndex sbn-data-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Factor</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Value</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Score</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="Assist Percentage - Assist Percentage is the percent of team's field goals made that were assisted." align="left">Passing (AST%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 62.1%" align="right" style="color: #d9534f">51.2%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 30% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">24.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="Effective Field Goal Percentage - Effective Field Goal Percentage is a field goal percentage that is adjusted for made 3 pointers being 1.5 times more valuable than a 2 point shot." align="left">Shooting (eFG%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 53.7%" align="right">52.4%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">19.5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="Defensive Rebound Percentage - The percentage of defensive rebounds a team obtains." align="left">Defensive Rebounding (DReb%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 76.4%" align="right" style="color: #5cb85c">83.7%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">21.9</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="Defensive Rating - The number of points allowed per 100 possessions by a team. For a player, it is the number of points per 100 possessions that the team allows while that individual player is on the court." align="left">Defense (DefRtg)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 100.1" align="right">94.5</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">21.2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="The percentage of opponent's Field Goal Attempts which are uncontested. A measure of how many open looks an opponent is afforded per possession. A contested shot is one in which a defender is within 4 feet of the shooter" align="left">Opponent % of FGA Uncontested</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 40.8%" align="right" style="color: #5cb85c">32.1%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 10% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">12.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td align="left" colspan="2"><b>Total</b></td>
<td align="right"><strong>100.1</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h4>Timberwolves Spurs Index: 89.8 <a style="font-size: 0.8em;" href="#" id="showOpponentSpursIndex">Show Breakdown</a>
</h4>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section class="stats">
<table style="width: auto; display: none;" id="spursIndexThem" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed spursIndex sbn-data-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Factor</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Value</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Score</b></td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="Assist Percentage - Assist Percentage is the percent of team's field goals made that were assisted." align="left">Passing (AST%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 62.1%" align="right" style="color: #d9534f">53.1%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 30% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">25.7</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="Effective Field Goal Percentage - Effective Field Goal Percentage is a field goal percentage that is adjusted for made 3 pointers being 1.5 times more valuable than a 2 point shot." align="left">Shooting (eFG%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 53.7%" align="right" style="color: #d9534f">45.1%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">16.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="Defensive Rebound Percentage - The percentage of defensive rebounds a team obtains." align="left">Defensive Rebounding (DReb%)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 76.4%" align="right">79.5%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">20.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td title="Defensive Rating - The number of points allowed per 100 possessions by a team. For a player, it is the number of points per 100 possessions that the team allows while that individual player is on the court." align="left">Defense (DefRtg)</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 100.1" align="right" style="color: #d9534f">112.7</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 20% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">17.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td title="The percentage of opponent's Field Goal Attempts which are uncontested. A measure of how many open looks an opponent is afforded per possession. A contested shot is one in which a defender is within 4 feet of the shooter" align="left">Opponent % of FGA Uncontested</td>
<td title="2013-2014 Average: 40.8%" align="right" style="color: #d9534f">46.4%</td>
<td title="This factor accounts for 10% of the Spurs Index score" align="right">8.8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td align="left" colspan="2"><b>Total</b></td>
<td align="right"><strong>89.8</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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</section></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A low assist percentage made this a completely average game in the Spurs Index despite above average rebounding and shot-contesting. Against bad teams, that's usually more than enough to get the win. And since the Spurs were without key players, we'll take a night in which they match or exceed the stats they posted a season ago.</p>
<p>The Spurs will now have two days off before playing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Wizards</a> on Tuesday.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><section style="font-style: italic;" id="definitions">
<p>---</p>
<p><b>Definitions</b></p>
<p id="eFGPct"><b>eFG%</b>: Effective Field Goal percentage. (<a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/glossary.html#efg_pct">via</a>) Effective Field Goal Percentage; the formula is (FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA. This statistic adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal. For example, suppose Player A goes 4 for 10 with 2 threes, while Player B goes 5 for 10 with 0 threes. Each player would have 10 points from field goals, and thus would have the same effective field goal percentage (50%).</p>
<p id="adjGS"><b>AdjGS</b>: a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/glossary.html">here</a>) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.</p>
<p id="usageRate"><b>Usage%</b>: This "estimates the % of team possessions a player consumes while on the floor" (<a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=1120">via</a>). The usage of those possessions is determined via a formula using field goal and free throw attempts, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. The higher the number, the more prevalent a player is (good or bad) in a team's offensive outcome.</p>
<p id="floorPct"><b>Floor%</b>: Via <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=1120">Basketball-Reference.com</a>: Floor % answers the question, "when Player X uses a possession, what is the probability that his team scores at least 1 point?". The higher the Floor%, the more frequently the team probably scores when the given player is involved.</p>
<p id="offRtg"><b>Offensive Rating (offRtg)</b>: Points per 100 possessions.</p>
<p id="defRtg"><b>Defensive Rating (defRtg)</b>: Points allowed per 100 possessions.</p>
<p id="spursIndexDef"><b>Spurs Index</b>: The Spurs Index © is a just-for-fun formula that attempts to quantify just how "Spursy" a particular game is, based off averages for the 2013-2014 regular season. A perfectly average game would have a Spurs Index of 100. The formula consists of four factors which the Spurs are known for and lead or nearly lead the league in: Shooting (effective Field Goal %), Passing (Assist percentage), Defensive Rebounding Rate, and Defensive Rating. These metrics are weighted as follows:
</p>
<table style="width: auto;" class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover table-condensed sbn-data-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="ui-state-even" style="font-weight: bold;">
<td>Factor</td>
<td>Weight</td>
<td>Average</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Passing (AST%)</td>
<td>30%</td>
<td>62.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Shooting (eFG%)</td>
<td>20%</td>
<td>53.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Defensive Rebounding (DReb%)</td>
<td>20%</td>
<td>76.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-even">
<td>Defense (DefRtg)</td>
<td>20%</td>
<td>100.1</td>
</tr>
<tr class="ui-state-odd">
<td>Opponent % of FGA Uncontested</td>
<td>10%</td>
<td>40.8%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The values for each metric are determined based on how a particular game's performance compares to the Spurs 2013-2014 regular season average for that metric. For instance, the average effective Field Goal percentage for 2013-2014 was 53.7%. So if the Spurs shot 60% in a given game, the score for eFG% would be calculated by: (0.6 / 0.537) * 20, which would yield a "score" for that factor of 22.3.</section></p>
<p id="credits">Special thanks to:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Bill%20C.">Bill Connelly</a> over at our sister blog <a href="http://rockmnation.com">Rock M Nation</a>, for the idea for Study Hall (and many of the stats and definitions)</li>
<li>
<a href="https://github.com/nickb1080">Nick Bottomley</a>, whose <a href="https://github.com/nickb1080/nba">nba stats API project</a> made it possible to automate the statistical breakdowns for every game</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
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https://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/1/11/7528551/spurs-timberwolves-stats-breakdown
Jeje Gomez
2015-01-11T08:27:46-06:00
2015-01-11T08:27:46-06:00
Daye's big night helps Spurs defeat Wolves, 108-93
<figure>
<img alt="Let the Austin Daye Day jokes commence!" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HkrGfJD54fM76td1ihCxIg8cOLE=/0x908:2184x2364/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45194528/usa-today-8324631.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Let the Austin Daye Day jokes commence! | Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Coming off of a clutch performance against Phoenix, the Spurs traveled 1247 miles up I-35 to the Target Center in Minneapolis where they thankfully went up against one of the Western Conference's least daunting opponents. </p> <p><span>The Wolves, 5-30 coming into the game, feature two former 1st overall draft picks in <span>Andrew Wiggins</span> and <span>Anthony Bennett</span>, both Cleveland alums who were sacrificed as as burnt offal to summon <span>Kevin Love</span> to the Cavs. Tonight, Minnesota's leading scorer would be reserve Zach LaVine, who scored 19. Wiggins and center <span>Gorgui Dieng</span> combined for 36, each scoring 18.</span></p>
<p><span>The injury report before the game was that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> would be without the services of Manu (back spasms), Marco (groin), Baynes (neck), and, of course, Kawhi (hand). Belinelli and Baynes both dressed and Baynes ended up making an appearance with just under 2 minutes left in the game.</span></p>
<p><span>Aside from a bit of late drama, this game ended up offering Spurs fans something they haven't experienced much recently: a relatively comfortable win. The Spurs avoided a third straight game with a third quarter collapse, as they extended the lead from 15 to 20 over that frame. Instead of a third quarter cold spell, we were treated to a sluggish fourth quarter offensive showing from San Antonio, in which the Spurs did not register a field goal until <span>Austin Daye</span> hit a short jumper with 6:53 left in the game.</span></p>
<p><span>The Wolves would spend the fourth quarter slowly whittling away at the lead, but never truly threatening. A short flurry by the Wolves with two minutes left brought them closest, but Zach LeVine missed a 3 that would have cut the margin to 6, and Minnesota gave up 8 subsequent points to close the game, resulting in a 108-93 Spurs win.</span></p>
<p><span>Aside from flirting ever so lightly with a late-game collapse, the story of this game was Austin Daye, scoring on dunks, 3 pointers, and mid-range shots. He dominated the 2nd quarter offensively, and ended the game with 22 points, shooting 4-8 from three point land and 4-5 from mid-range and inside. Daye also grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the team.</span></p>
<p> </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span><i>Green with an alley-oop to Duncan? My understanding of the world has been dealt another blow.</i></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h4><span><b>Game Notes</b></span></h4>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><span>Popovich tapped Daye and Diaw start the game, constituting what I was informed was the 21st different starting linuep for the Spurs - sounds about right, but there's no way I'm taking the time to verify that.</span></li>
<li><span><span>Kyle Anderson</span> say no playing time until almost 2 minutes left with the game mostly out of hand for the Wolves. Against a weak opponent featuring as many young players as Minnesota, I expected Popovich to look to get him as much playing time as possible; that did not happen.</span></li>
<li><span><span>Danny Green</span> continued his on-again-off-again scoring, notching just 7 points on 2-6 shooting after scoring 20 against Phoenix. His defense remains excellent and consistent, and, although it didn't show up on the stat sheet, he got another one of what is rapidly becoming his signature block-from-behind on a driving Andrew Wiggins.</span></li>
<li><span>Parker's movement appears to the eye to be approaching his normal, but he (like Mills just after his return) is still working on getting his shot back. He finished the game tying Green with 7 points, but on inefficient 3-9 shooting, including a regression-to-the-mean corner three point miss that led to an odd looking Bonner one-handed-putback that surprised even him.</span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span>The Spur's backup point guard tandem of Corey Joseph and <span>Patty Mills</span> continued their solid play, with CJ going 5-8 for 12 points, and Mills shooting 7-11 to score 19. </span></li>
<li><span><span>Boris Diaw</span> isn't exactly striking fear in the hearts of his opponents at the moment, and it's telling that he registered a team worst over/under of -1. However, he still displays incredible floor understanding at times. His finest moment tonight came during the third quarter, off a pick-and-roll he ran with Tony. He directed TP on which direction to come off the pick, took the pass off the roll, dragged in the defense, then hit Austin Daye for a wide open three pointer. He only got an assist for it, but that play belongs on the highlight reel for the season. More, please, and more consistent.</span></li>
<li><span>My wife asked me if the Spurs were going to play the "second string" for the fourth quarter with the lead at 20. I'm still unsure how to answer that.</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<div>The Spurs are off until Tuesday, where they will face the newly relevant <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a>.</div>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/1/11/7527003/spurs-take-care-of-business-defeat-timberwolves-on-the-road
rick2g
2015-01-10T02:00:02-06:00
2015-01-10T02:00:02-06:00
Game Preview: Spurs @ T-Wolves
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<figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Spurs travel up to Minnesota on the second night of a back to back to face off with the T-wolves. A game like this is a must win if San Antonio wants to climb back up the standings, but only if they want to.</p> <div id="preview-wrapper">
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<div id="preview-vs">
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a> @ <a href="https://www.canishoopus.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Timberwolves</a></b></h3>
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota<br>January 10, 2015, 7:00 PM Spurs Time<br> TV: FSSW - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI</div>
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<p>So after the Spurs finished playing the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Suns</a> last night, they had to hop on a plane and head out over 1200 miles to be in Minneapolis tonight to face off with the T-pups in freezing temperatures (-4 degrees at the writing of this). Seems reasonable. The good news for the Spurs is that Minnesota is not very good and they also played last night. Of course Milwaukee isn't quite 1200 miles away, but I digress.</p>
<p><span>The Spurs currently find themselves in unfamiliar waters, at the bottom of the playoff picture in January. </span>It's clearly time to blow it up. Pop has lost his mojo and has now resorted to hockey tactics. Tim Duncan is playing like, <a style='href="http: //www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#timkness";' target="_blank">Tim Kness</a>. Manu Ginobili's bald spot is growing and doesn't look like it will be slowing down any time soon. <span>Tony Parker</span> is still French and has bad hammys (should this be hammies? Made up words are so hard to use grammatically correctly). This doesn't even take into account <span>Matt Bonner</span>. MATT BONNER PEOPLE! I don't know where I was going with that, but it was intense.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p style="text-align: center;">Matty knows and he's not happy about it.</p>
<p>Let's be real if the Spurs want to right the ship they need to take these hapless T-wolves out behind the shed and give them a beating they'll remember for at least a week. They need to stop losing games to these lowly bottom feeders and start just winning all their games. Why am I not a coach in the NBA? That is about as sound a strategy as you will ever hear for success in sports. It boggles the mind how I haven't been scooped up.</p>
<p>So why is Minnesota so bad? Well, they did trade their best player in the off-season, so that doesn't help. Their current best player is....hang on....I'm checking into this.....wow. So I guess <span>Andrew Wiggins</span> really is their best player. Maybe it was a guy like <span>Ricky Rubio</span>, but he's hurt. <span>Nikola Pekovic</span> and <span>Kevin Martin</span> are also hurt and they just traded Cory Brewer. So what it seems like is that the T-pups have the injury problems of the Spurs and the roster of the T-pups which makes for a 5-30 record and 14 straight losses. It could be worse people, it could be worse.</p>
<p>As bad as they've been, Minnesota isn't an easy out. They just pushed Phoenix to the edge earlier this week. The Suns were bailed out by a crazy <span>Gerald Green</span> three <a href="http://www.canishoopus.com/2015/1/8/7512861/gerald-green-crashes-the-party-again" target="_blank">near the end of the game</a>. I fully expect to get the T-wolves best shot tonight, after all they do have famous Spur-killer Mo Williams (how is he still in the league?!). So he'll probably drop 30 points tonight. Wiggins will be the key guy to shut down, he's been<a href="http://www.canishoopus.com/2015/1/9/7518853/how-andrew-wiggins-has-changed-his-game" target="_blank"> playing well of late </a>and leads the team in scoring. Really if the Spurs just play a focused game on both ends I don't see any way the T-wolves can hang with San Antonio.</p>
<p> </p>
<table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204"><center><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/img/2.0/sect/gameinfo/teamlogos/MIN.gif"></center></td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>VS</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205"><center><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/img/2.0/sect/gameinfo/teamlogos/SAS.gif" style="width: 120px; height: 76px;"></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p align="center"><b>Minnesota Timberwolves (5-30)</b></p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b></b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p align="center"><b>San Antonio Spurs (22-15)</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"><b>January 10, 2015</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"><b>Target Center, Minneapolis, MN</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"><b>7:00 PM CDT</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"><b>TV: FSSW</b></p>
<p align="center"><b>Radio: WOAI 1200AM</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3">
<p align="center"><b>Starters</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p style="text-align: center;" align="right"><span>Zach LaVine</span></p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>PG</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p style="text-align: center;">Tony Parker</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p style="text-align: center;" align="right">Andrew Wiggins</p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>SG</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Danny Green</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p style="text-align: center;" align="right"><span>Thaddeus Young</span></p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>SF</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Marco Belinelli</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p style="text-align: center;" align="right"><span>Shabazz Muhammad</span></p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>PF</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Tiago Splitter</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="204">
<p style="text-align: center;" align="right"><span>Gorgui Dieng</span></p>
</td>
<td width="25">
<p align="center"><b>C</b></p>
</td>
<td width="205">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Tim Duncan</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><br></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>For the T-pups' perspective, please visit <a href="http://www.canishoopus.com/" target="_blank">Canis Hoopus</a>.</p>
<p>Game prediction: Spurs by 12.</p>
<p>As always <a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#tonydominatefisher" target="_blank">Tony must dominate Fisher</a>, and you can get your San Antonio Spurs tickets from Daniel Farias with Spurs Sports & Entertainment: Tel: 210-444-5607 | dfarias@attcenter.com</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/1/10/7513971/game-preview-san-antonio-spurs-minnesota-timberwolves
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