Spurs vs. Nets

The Spurs made it seven in a row with their win over the Nets tonight 93-83. Defense was once again the key and Parker led the way with outstanding play for the second consecutive game. He finished the game with 25 points on 10-18 shooting. He really seems to be getting back to his normal playing shape and has become more aggressive at attacking the rim with each game. Defensively, the Spurs held the Nets to 35% shooting and outrebounded them 51-42.

Lineup changes were made tonight and the biggest was that Manu went back to the bench after being in the starting lineup for almost a month. Off the bench, he contributed 17 points. Manu had been playing heavy minutes and was averaging 20+ points until their last game versus the Mavs. Finley started in his place, but was only able to contribute 4 points. It will be interesting to see if this will be a permanent change or if it was just a matchup decision by Coach Pop. In addition to Finley starting, Kurt Thomas got his first start since coming to the team. He started in place of Oberto and had 6 points and 9 rebounds.

Duncan struggled offensively for he second consecutive game, going 4-14 from the field for only 13 points, but he did pull in 14 rebounds. He appeared frustrated by the officiating throughout the game and even drew a technical foul late in the game when he barked at a referee for what he felt was a missed call.

Of note was the performance of Udoka, who came off the bench to score 13 points on 5-7 shooting, including 3-3 from the three point line. Udoka appears to be getting more and more comfortable in the Spurs system. Defensively, he is pretty consistent, but offensively there are games where he struggles. Hopefully, we will see him contribute 10-15 points off the bench each night.

The Spurs have now won 11 of their last 12 games and have improved their record to 41-17. Next up, they will complete a home and home with the Nets when they face New Jersey again in San Antonio on Tuesday night.