Lower back strain leads to injured list for Duncan; Cousin activated
- SAN ANTONIO (ESPN, October 16) -- D-League champion Marcus Cousin will make his much anticipated debut with the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow. Cousin, who was signed by the Spurs last year, was activated in time for the Spurs' game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent the entire season with the Austin Toros and along with James Gist, led the team to the D-League Championship, averaging 16.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. To make room for Cousin on their active roster, the Spurs placed Tim Duncan on the injured list with a lower back strain.
Penciled in as the team's starting center, Duncan averaged 14.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-high 3.0 blocks while playing 73 games last season, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the process. He has career averages of 20.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.3 rejections in 1050 career games. Without Duncan, the Spurs had a 14-1 record last season. The Spurs defeated the New York Knicks on Saturday, 110-104, with 20 points from Duncan (before leaving the game) and 30 by Manu Ginobili.
Maggette's 4th quarter explosion lifts Spurs over Sixers
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- PHILADELPHIA (ESPN, October 17) -- In the break prior the fourth quarter, Corey Maggette's teammates and coaches were imploring the swingman to take charge of the game against Philadelphia... so he did. After going 0-of-5 from the floor in the third period, Maggette scored 11 fourth period points, including the game winner and finishing the game with 21 points to help the Spurs thump the Sixers, 89-87. Lamar Odom had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored a game-best 26 points for the Spurs, undefeated in the preseason at 4-0. Ginobili also had a game-high plus-minus of +14, while Maggette grabbed eight rebounds. “Manu was talking to me the whole game, telling me to be more aggressive. Mike (Budenholzer) said to take over, be more assertive.” Ginobili added, “He's done that so many times for us last year. He's really stepped up big for us.”
Evan Turner led Philadelphia with 24 points and four rebounds, while Marreese Speights scored 13 points and 15 boards before fouling out with 2:33 to play in the contest. Andre Iguodala had 13 points for the Sixers, who led by as many as 8 points early in the second quarter but a 12-2 San Antonio run tied the game 40-40 at intermission. Maggette's late burst caught Iguodala, who played only 21 minutes, by surprise. “He was looking to score in the third quarter but our defense kept him out,” said Iguodala, “but in the fourth he was unstoppable.” Sixers coach Doug Collins agreed: “Corey carried the team on his back when they needed him the most. His last layup was a dagger.” Marcus Cousin made his debut with the Spurs and scored 4 points and three rebounds, while former NLSC Academy member Leo Lai contributed with five points for Philadelphia.
Tony Parker, who also had a double-double with 10 points and ten assists, drove the lane for a basket and a 87-85 lead with 28 seconds left. Jrue Holiday then was fouled on a drive and made both shots from the charity stripe with 22 seconds to go, but Philadelphia had no timeouts after Maggette's layup. A hurried shot from halfcourt by Turner (who had 11 points in the third period) missed at the final buzzer. “I've always had confidence in my ability to score,” said Turner. “But I'd rather score 15 and win the game.” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said his team got lucky. “Turner killed us. He made shots from everywhere, and I must admit Speights surprised me.” San Antonio's accuracy from the free throw line proved to be a key: 19-of-22 (86 percent) against Philly's 13-of-23 (56 percent). The Sixers also had seven turnovers, while the Spurs only had two in the entire game. The teams play again on October 25 in San Antonio.
Amar'e, Azubuike combine for 46 points in Knicks victory over San Antonio
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- NEW YORK (ESPN, October 19) -- Amar'e Stoudemire is feeling rejuvenated in New York and his Knicks teammates are happy to follow his lead. Stoudemire scored 26 points and 11 rebounds, along with two assists, two steals and a rejection, to lead his team over the San Antonio Spurs, 102-95. The former Phoenix Sun made 11-of-17 shots from the field, most of them layups and dunks, killing San Antonio's interior defense. He scored only nine points in the first half, but then found his way after intermission, scoring another nine in the fourth period. “Amar'e has always played consistently, but now we're winning games and he's in the spotlight,” said his teammate Kelenna Azubuike, who added 20 points, 14 in the first half. Stoudemire and Azubuike's success helped Danilo Gallinari play more freely, contributing with 14 points off the bench.
With this win, the Knicks have been victorious in three games in a row this preseason after starting 0-2, including a loss to the Spurs last week. Stoudemire is averaging over 27 points and shooting almost 60 percent in this five games, and has the squad in good position for a dark horse bet this year. “If Amar'e keeps up like this, he will be in contention for the MVP,” said Corey Maggette, who scored a game-best 31 points -- 10 in the third -- for the Spurs. “He's their star. They went to him and he didn't disappoint.” Raymond Felton scored eight points for New York before leaving the game with a broken ankle; he will miss the start of the regular season. Rookie Zach Pollard took his place and posted 13 points, three rebounds and five assists. Wilson Chandler and Anthony Randolph made six Knicks in double figures, with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
The Spurs are having a hard time finding a consistent scorer who can deliver right now with Tim Duncan unavailable, specially during some stretches of the game when they fall out of rhythm. Coach Gregg Popovich tried a lineup with Michael Redd in the starting lineup and Manu Ginobili as a reserve: Redd posted 12 points while Ginobili shot 5-of-20 for 15 points. Tony Parker had another double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but started the game 1-of-7 from the floor. Lamar Odom added 11 and 14 boards, but shot 3-of-10. “That is something that has me worried,” Popovich said. “We need to find a way to win games when one of our main core guys is injured.” Odom said: “It looked like we didn't have a lot of energy at some points.” As usual, San Antonio took advantage of charity stripe opportunities, but New York was better in the paint (36-24) and also had more second chance and fast break points.
lol just kidding! glad ur finally able to find time to get this going again! now we got to get George some free time and we will all be back in business again..haha
