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Tiago Splitter active, but on the bench: San Antonio v Golden State Game 2 Live

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SAN ANTONIO, TX (Sporting Alert) — Tiago Splitter is active, but will start on the bench for the San Antonio Spurs in tonight’s Game 2 of their Western Conference semi-final clash with the Golden State Warriors here at the AT&T Center.

San Antonio v Golden State Game 2 Live

Splitter sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of a first round game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 27 and missed the opening game of this series on Monday night.

Boris Diaw keeps his place in the starting team and will be playing alongside Tim Duncan, who apparently will play at center, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Danny Green.

Manu Ginobilli, who hit the game winning jumper in the double overtime 129-127 win in the first game, is also on the bench along with Gary Neal.

The Spurs managed to cut-down a 16-point deficit with 4 minutes remaining to seal the victory and Ginobili still remains puzzle.

“I don’t know how we managed to tie the game,” he said. “We had some really big shots before regulation, in the first overtime and second overtime.

“It got us the win, but not sure if we deserved it.”

Tracy McGrady is also confirmed as active for the San Antonio Spurs after joining the team prior to the start of the playoffs.

Stephen Curry, who scored 44 points and dished out 11 assists in the defeat leads the Golden State Warriors attack again tonight and is expected to get lots of help from the likes of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Jarrett Jack.

San Antonio coach Greg Popovich is mindful of how dangerous Curry can and will be during the series, but admits he has no answers for the “unbelievable” sharp shooting Warriors guard.

“We’d like to figure out how to hold Curry below 40,” Popovich said. “I’ve got like 10 phone calls out for people asking for suggestions.

“He’s unbelievable, unbelievable. He’s something to watch.

“Obviously, we’ll try to see if we can figure out some way to limit him a little bit. It’s pretty obvious that’s a god idea.”

San Antonio Spurs v Golden State Warriors Team News, Live on TNT Overtime

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SAN ANTONIO (Sporting Alert) — The San Antonio Spurs will be without the injured Tiago Splitter for tonight’s NBA Western Conference semi-final clash with the Golden State Warriors here at AT&T Center.

Splitter remains out with an ankle injury, but coach Gregg Popovich is hoping to have the center back for Game 2 in the series on Wednesday night.

With Splitter out, Boris Diaw starts at center as the Spurs look to take advantage of being at home and win the series opener.

Tracy McGrady remains inactive in the playoffs.

Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are the other starters for San Antonio tonight.

The Golden State Warriors starting team includes the shooting machine Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Carl Landry and Andrew Bogut.

Curry, who was very impressive in the first round against the Denver Nuggets, was red hot in the last game against the Spurs and the visitors are hoping the point guard can deliver similar things in this series.

“He has a gift that you can count on your hand how many people have,” Golden State coach Mark Jackson was quoted as saying.

“Everyone wants to be a shooter. And then you look at him, he looks like a baby. And he’s smiling and he never gets out of character and he’s a class act.

“I just think at the end of the day people see him and say, ‘Man, that’s how I want my son to be.'”

Golden State at San Antonio
When: Monday, May 6, 2013
Time: 9:30 PM ET
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Game Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #24 Mike Callahan, #33 Zach Zarba
TNT Overtime: San Antonio Spurs v Golden State Warriors Live

Live on TNT Over Time: Lakers v San Antonio

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LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — The San Antonio Spurs are one win away from sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in their Western Conference 1st round NBA playoff series and they are heavy favorites to do so on Sunday night in Game 4.

When: Sunday, April 28, 2013
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV Channels: TNT, Fox Sports Southwest (San Antonio), Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles)
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Live on TNT Over Time

San Antonio leads the series 3-0.

A banged up Lakers side will be without several key players, including Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Metta World-Peace, who all joined Kobe Bryant on the sideline because of injuries.

With Blake and Nash out, the bulk of the contribution is expected to come from Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

Gasol, meanwhile, will be wearing a splint for tonight’s contest after he tore a ligament in his right middle finger during Game 3.

The star forward admits that they face an uphill task in coming back, but said the Lakers, who are 0-7 all-time in Game 4 when trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, haven’t given up just yet.

“We’re wounded, (but) we’ve just got to stay positive and give ourselves a chance,” Gasol said.

“It’s been really difficult to play at this level of playoff basketball without your roster healthy, without four or five key players in your rotation … I’m proud of us because we’ve been fighting so much.”

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni says despite the injuries he thinks his team can still surprise.

“You can’t do something that everybody will talk about if everybody expects you to do it,” D’Antoni said. “Nobody expects us to do it. We’re going to show up, going to try to do it.

“Why not? We’ve got good guys, and they’ve battled since February to get us in this position. Now we’re in another big hole, and we’re going to try to dig out little by little.”

Spurs on the other hand will not allow Los Angeles to build any confidence, adding that he and some of his teammates who are carrying knocks would love to get some rest.

“I think it’s very important for us as a team to finish (Sunday),” said Parker.

“Especially with Tiago (Splitter) being hurt now, and waiting for Boris to get back — me, Manu (Ginobili), T.D., we can always use some rest.”

With Splitter out for 7-10 days with an ankle injury, San Antonio has confirmed that Aron Baynes will start at center against the Lakers.

LA Lakers Hammered 120-89 by San Antonio; Results, Box Score

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LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert, BOX SCORE) — San Antonio Spurs punished an injured hit Los Angeles Lakers on their way to taking a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference first round playoff series with a 120-89 victory at STAPLES Center on Friday night.

The defeat margin was Lakers’ worst ever home defeat.

“I think we’re playing fairly well,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

“Whether the team you’re playing is whole or banged-up like the Lakers are … we have to bring the energy and the professionalism to play.”

Star forward Tim Duncan scored 26 points and nine rebounds and All-Star point guard Tony Parker added 20 points and seven assists in the win for San Antonio, which had starting center Tiago Splitter injured.

The Spurs shot 61-percent on 52-for-85 shooting from the floor and were very aggressive on the night to secure the win.

“We respect these guys, and we’re not trying to give them any momentum whatsoever,” Duncan told reporters after the game.

The Lakers, which were without Steve Nash and Steve Blake, who were both suffering from hamstring injury, were led by Dwight Howard, who collected a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Darius Morris scored 24 points and six assists, while Andrew Goudelock recorded a career-high 20 points in starting roles for the Lakers in the Game 3 defeat.

Pau Gasol added triple-double of 13 rebounds, 11 points and 10 assists for the Lakers who are now one defeat away from being eliminated from the playoffs. Gasol, who admitted “We’ve been murdered by injuries,” became the seventh player to collect a playoff triple-double in LA Lakers history.

Nash out; McGrady inactive still: LA Lakers v San Antonio live on ESPN – Game 3

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LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — Steve Nash will not feature for the Los Angeles Lakers in tonight’s NBA playoff first round Game 3 clash with the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center.

San Antonio at LA Lakers | Listen Live Audio
Live TV Channels: ESPN, Fox Sports Southwest (San Antonio), Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles)
When: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, April 26, 2013
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Watch Live Streaming on ESPN3.com and WatchESPN.com on your phones.

Nash, who is suffering from a strained hamstring was listed as a game time decision for the contest after receiving shots to take care of in his back and on his hip, but Lakers are now reporting that the veteran point guard is inactive for Friday night’s game.

Los Angeles team officials say Darius Morris will replace him in the starting team, while Andrew Goudelock also comes in for Steve Blake.

The rest of the team is expected to stay the same, with Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Metta World-Peace also starting.

Nash joins the injured Kobe Bryant on the sidelines, while Steve Blake is also out with a hamstring injury.

The Lakers are down 2-0 in the seven game series.

Meanwhile, Tracy McGrady continues to be inactive for the San Antonio Spurs, but Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are both amongst the starters for the travelers.

NBA Live on TNT OverTime: San Antonio v LA Angeles Lakers; McGrady inactive

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San Antonio, Texas (Sporting Alert) — Tracy McGrady remains inactive for the San Antonio Spurs in tonight’s NBA Western Conference first round Game 2 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Watch Live Streaming: San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Lakers: TNT Overtime

April 24, 2013 @ 9:30 PM ET |
AT&T Center – San Antonio, Texas

It was believed that McGrady, who was only snapped up by the Spurs days prior to the start of the playoffs, would have been on the roster for tonight’s contest, but Spurs coach Greg Popovich confirmed that the 33-year-old would be inactive.

San Antonio confirmed starters are Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter.

Manu Ginobili, who was crucial in the first game, Gary Neal and DeJuan Blair are amongst the players on the bench.

Boris Diaw remains out with a lumbar facet sprain and is expected to miss the entire series against the Lakers.

Meanwhile, Jordan Hill starts on the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers after returning from surgery for a torn labrum he suffered in late January.

After practicing earlier today, veteran point guard Steve Nash starts for the Lakers, with Steve Blake and Metta World-Peace also in the lineup.

Big men, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol compete the starters for the game here at the AT&T Center.

Playoff Scores and Results, Box Score, Highlights – April 21

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MIAMI (Sporting Alert) — Defending champions Miami Heat began the defense of the NBA title with a comfortable win, while there were playoff wins also for Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.

In Miami, LeBron James scored 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Heat to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-87 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Ray Allen added 20 points and five rebounds, while Dwyane Wade ended with 16 points and Chris Bosh, 15 points and seven boards in the victory.

Kevin Durant: LA Lakers vs Thunder
Kevin Durant of Thunder in action

Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis combined to score 48 of the Bucks’ 87 overall points.

Jennings finished with 26 points and Ellis ended with 22 in the defeat.

“I think we played good basketball in stretches,” Ellis said. “They’re a great team. They capitalized on our mistakes.

“I think they were more aggressive towards the end. In the third and fourth, they never looked back.”

Game 2 in the series is on Tuesday in Miami again.

Also putting down a solid performance were the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated James Harden and the Houston Rockets 120-91.

After sitting out the final game of the regular season, Kevin Durant returned to the starting lineup to score 24 points for the Thunder, while Russell Westbrook added 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Durant said about Harden, “we’re not looking at him as a friend right now.”

He added: “It felt a little awkward just looking across there during the national anthem and seeing him with another team, but we’ve got to get past that.

“We’re competing against his team, and he wants to win so bad. We know him personally, so we know how hard he competes and he knows how hard we compete.”

Harden led the Rockets with 20 points and six rebounds, but the visitors struggled from the floor, going 33-of-91 in the shooting department.

Elsewhere on Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs eased past the Los Angeles Lakers 91-79 with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker both scoring 18 points for the home side.

“It was great to have Manu back,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “He does what he does. He makes big shots.

“He creates problems for the opponent and he’s got a great will, a great desire.

“I’ll worry all night about how he’ll feel in the morning. If he says he feels great, then that will be a good sign for our team.”

Tim Duncan collected a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Lakers, in the meantime, without the injured Kobe Bryant, were paced by Dwight Howard, who had 20 points and 15 rebounds in the defeat.

Pau Gasol also collected a double-double of 16 points and 16 boards, while Steve Nash, returning to the lineup added 16 points as well.

In the day’s early tip-off, Paul George collected a triple-double of 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 107-90 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points in the defeat.

NBA Playoff Results and Scores
Sunday, April 21

Indiana 107, Atlanta 90 – Box Score  |  Highlights
San Antonio 91, LA Lakers 79 – Box Score  |  Highlights
Miami 110, Milwaukee 87 – Box Score  |   Highlights
Oklahoma City 120, Houston 91 – Box Score  |  Highlights

Lakers continue playoff push with Bryant against San Antonio

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LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — The Los Angeles Lakers continue their push for a playoff slot on Sunday night with a difficult assignment against the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio at LA Lakers Live
Date: Sunday, April 14, 2013
Time: 9:30 PM ET
Place: Staples Center
Live TV: KENS (San Antonio), TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), NBA TV

Mike D’Antoni’s side currently holds the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference, but need to win more games to hold off the Utah Jazz who are also battling for the same spot.

The Lakers (43-37) head into the game without leader and All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, who suffered and season ending torn Achilles tendon in Friday’s 118-116 home victory over Golden State Warriors.

Bryant successfully underwent surgery and is out for 6-9 weeks the Lakers said.

“We know he’s out, but we can’t put our heads down like it’s over with,” said Lakers center Dwight Howard. “We have to go out there and play.

“We have a lot of talented guys on this team. I think we can accomplish something great, with or without Kobe.”

Meanwhile, veteran point guard Steve Nash will miss his seventh game in a row with a hamstring injury.

San Antonio (58-21) is a half game behind Oklahoma City in the race for the best record in West, but will return to the top with a win over the Lakers Sunday night.

Lakers have won seven of its last 10 games and are on a three game winning streak.

Spurs, in the meantime, have split its last 10, but have lost each of the last 5 games on the road.

Oklahoma City v San Antonio Spurs-Live on TNT- Preview

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OKLAHOMA CITY (Sporting Alert) — Western Conference powerhouses Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs square-off in what should be a high quality contest at Chesapeake Energy Arena here in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Watch Oklahoma City v San Antonio Spurs-Live on TNT

San Antonio (56-19) are 1.5 games ahead of Oklahoma City and will look to put a little more distance between the two sides with a win.

Both teams are 7-3 from the last 10 games, with Spurs coming into the contest with a 98-84 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, while the Thunder (54-20), who are yet to play in April, beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-99 on March 30.

“To get four days off is going to help your body and help your mind, just to give you some physical and mental rest is always good,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

“We know we’re playing one of the best teams in the league, and we’re going to focus on playing well against them.

“There’s no doubt they challenge you in a lot of different ways, but it’s good for us. It’s always good to play against the best teams down the stretch.”

Oklahoma City, who are giving up 97 points per game, are 32-5 at home, while San Antonio, which will be without Manu Ginobili, who remains out because of a hamstring injury, are 23-14 on the road.

San Antonio Spurs 105, beat Oklahoma City Thunder 93

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SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-93 to snap the visitors’ five-game winning streak on Monday night.

Center Tiago Splitter collected 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 17 points for San Antonio (49-15) to take the win and moved two games clear in the Western Conference standings.

Chipping in also for the win were Danny Green, who had 16 and Tim Duncan, who finished with 13, Manu Ginobili (12) and Boris Diaw (11) for San Antonio, which shot 52.4-percent from the field and forced the Thunder into committing 19 turnovers.

Star forward and the league’s leading scorer Kevin Durant paced Oklahoma City (47-17) with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists.

He did, however, had five turnovers.

Russell Westbrook supported with 25 points, six assists and six rebounds for Oklahoma City, which lost its sixth straight game in San Antonio.

Serge Ibaka, who collected 16 rebounds and 13 points, was the only other Thunder player in double figures on the night.

San Antonio were rebounding from a shocking heavy defeat at home to Portland on Friday.

San Antonio 105, Oklahoma City 93
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, March 11, 2013
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Officials: #6 Tony Brown, #19 James Capers, #58 Josh Tiven
Attendance: 18581

LA Clippers v San Antonio Spurs Live on TNT

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LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — Chris Paul, coming off his MVP performance in the NBA All-Star Game over the weekend, will be looking to push the Los Angeles Clippers win over their Western Conference rivals San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

San Antonio at Los Angeles Clippers
TV Stream: TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET,
When: Thursday, February 21, 2013
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Paul finished with 20 points and 15 assists when the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 143-138 on Sunday night and the leading point guard will be hoping to guide the Clippers to a fifth straight victory.

In the last win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul finished with a double/double of 24 points and 13 assists.

But while the Clippers (39-17) have been resting since defeated city rivals LA Lakers last Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs was active beating the Sacramento Kings 108-102 on Tuesday night.

They too were celebrating their fourth successive win and will try for a fifth Thursday night.

The San Antonio Spurs (43-12) have won 15 of its last 16 games, but were beaten by the Clippers 106-84 when these two teams met early in the season at STAPLES Center.

Paul and Tony Parker, two of the NBA’s best point guards, will come face-to-face after playing together in the All-Star Game Sunday and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is delighted with the way the latter, who collected 30 points and 11 assists at Sacramento on Tuesday, has been playing recently.

“He [Parker] picked up where he left off before the All-Star break,” Popovich said.

“He’s having an unbelievable year. He just keeps doing it.”

LA Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs Starters Here…

San Antonio ready for Sacramento clash: TV Channel: FSSW, CSCA

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Sacramento, California (Sporting Alert) — Tony Parker and San Antonio Spurs returns to action tonight against the Sacramento Kings, following the All-Star weekend break last week.

When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Live TV Channel: FSSW, CSCA
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #29 Mark Lindsay, #20 Leroy Richardson

The San Antonio Spurs (42-12) continues to be the top team in the NBA Power Rankings and are favourites to add another victory against a Sacramento Kings (19-35) team hoping to kick-start their season in the second half of the season.

“It’s a great position to be in, obviously, but we want to be healthy at the end of the season. That’s our goal,” said Tim Duncan said.

“Hopefully, we can do that in the second half and hopefully ramp it up toward the end and get our momentum going.”

San Antonio are 20-10 away from home and Parker says the team loves playing on the road.

“We love playing on the road,” Parker, who had 13 points and five assists during Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Houston.

Parker, though, says the Spurs will be cautious in its first game back from the All-Star break.

“It’s always tough the first game after the All-Star break so we have to make sure we focus,” he said.

San Antonio has won nine of its last ten games and is on a three game winning streak.

Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have dropped seven of its last ten and are 14-12 at the Sleep Train Arena.

Starting Teams

San Antonio Spurs – Danny Green – G; Tony Parker – G; Kawhi Leonard – F; Tim Duncan – F; Tiago Splitter – C

Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans – G; Isaiah Thomas – G; John Salmons – F; Jason Thompson – F; DeMarcus Cousins – C