The reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs look to open a season with three consecutive wins for the first time in seven years Friday night when they host the Sacramento Kings. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-90 loss in their opener at New Orleans on Wednesday as they played without Mike Bibby (thumb), Ron Artest (suspension) and first-round pick Spencer Hawes (knee).
"We have no depth," new Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "It is very frustrating to be short-handed. It's beyond frustrating, but we have no choice but to deal with it."
With Artest suspended for seven games after pleading no contest to a charge related to domestic violence, Theus started shooting guard Kevin Martin at forward and he responded with a team-high 26 points against the Hornets. With Bibby out at least eight weeks with his thumb injury, newcomer Orien Greene took his place in the lineup and had two points and an assist in 16 minutes. John Salmons picked up the slack with 22 points and nine assists.
Sacramento got some help at the point Thursday, signing former Spurs guard Beno Udrih. Udrih, who spent three seasons with San Antonio after being chosen 28th overall in the 2004 draft, will probably not play against his former team in this game. He appeared in 207 regular-season games with the Spurs last season, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 assists.
However, Udrih will be in the building tonight. Udrih was traded to Minnesota on Monday and immediately released, before being signed by the Kings. He is likely to join the Kings when they visit the A####mp;T Center tonight, but is unlikely to be activated.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Manu Ginobili pulled up on the right baseline, released his shot then watched it clang hard off the rim. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, standing on the sideline, looked up at the rafters and let out a long sigh. Popovich didn't have to fret for long. Once Friday's third quarter gave way to fourth, Ginobili resumed his normal role as the Spurs' designated closer. Or, some might say, savior.
Playing again as a reserve, Ginobili scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs finally pushed past the Sacramento Kings 100-93 to extend their winning streak to 11 games. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Tony Parker scored 15 points and Matt Bonner provided some steady second-half minutes as the Spurs swept their four-game trip. After returning home today, the team will play 13 of its 20 final games at the A####mp;T Center. Led by Kevin Martin's 26 points, Sacramento shot 48 percent, but the Spurs found their defense in the closing minutes.
After trailing since the midpoint of the opening quarter, the Kings went ahead 73-72 on Francisco Garcia's 3-pointer with 9:16 left. The Spurs called timeout to regroup then Ginobili stepped back onto the floor and promptly drilled his own 3-pointer. He followed with a runner and another 3-pointer. Sacramento, however, continued to carve up the Spurs' defense on the other end of the floor, making eight of their first 10 shots in the quarter. Mike Bibby's 26-foot 3-pointer put Sacramento ahead 86-85 with 3:35 left.
Parker followed with a layup. After Brad Miller missed an open jump shot, Parker drove into the lane, took a bump and foul from Corliss Williamson, threw up a wild moonball then watched from the seat of his shorts as the shot bounced off the front of the rim then the back before dropping through the net. Parker missed the free throw, leaving the Spurs with an 89-86 lead. Ginobili and Duncan combined to make five free throws — even though the team went just 22 for 33 from the foul line — to extend the lead to 94-86 with 1:03 left. Ginobili helped close out the victory with a steal in the final seconds.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, who, at times, seems to be missing only a giant foam finger for charter membership in the Spurs' fan club, had a message late last week for anyone still dismissing his rival as a legitimate championship contender. "I find it humorous to hear about the supposed decline of the Spurs by so many who don't have to compete against them," Van Gundy said. "You know you've reached a good spot when people are saying it's a bad year when you're 41-18." The Spurs have since improved to 43-18 and, for now at least, the eulogies will have to wait. Criticized by coach Gregg Popovich for a couple of "soft performances" less than four weeks ago, the team has strung together 10 consecutive victories — its most since it won 11 in a row at the end of the 2003-04 season — heading into tonight's meeting with the Sacramento Kings.
As the Spurs' victory total has swelled, so has their self-esteem. Down seven points with a little more than two minutes left Tuesday night in Portland, the Spurs made four consecutive 3-pointers to stun the Rose Garden crowd and escape with a 99-94 victory. "Your confidence grows as you go through adversity and still find ways to win," Tim Duncan said. "So every step we take we're believing in each other a little more. We're understanding what to do and we're understanding not to panic. "We took a big step in that direction (Tuesday)."
With the possible exception of Tuesday's victory, Popovich credits the Spurs' winning streak to the same thing he previously thought was holding them back. "Defense," Popovich said. "We're getting stops now."
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