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San Antonio Spurs 101, Sacramento Kings 85
San Antonio, TX Nov. 3 / Brett Dvorak --
The San Antonio Spurs wasted little time showing the NBA why they are poised for another championship run. Olympians Tim
Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for fifty-four points and twenty three rebounds while new comer Brent Barry chipped in
sixteen points as the Spurs rolled to a season opening 101-85 win over the Sacramento Kings.
When we last saw the Spurs, they were coming off a devastating series loss to the dreaded L.A. Lakers; a series that exposed
the Spurs lack of perimeter shooting. Exit Hedo Turkoglu, enter Brent Barry, a career 40% shooter from three point range.
Now in his tenth year out of Oregon State, Barry nailed a trio of three pointers in the fourth quarter sparking a 17-5 run
that turned a nine point third quarter lead into their largest lead of the night (93-72).
Coming off a loss last night in Dallas, the Kings were not ready to call it a night just yet. Mike Bibby and Chris Webber
combined for all the points in an 11-0 run that cut the lead down to 93-83 forcing Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to call a
timeout and put four of the five starters back in the game. The lone reserve was Barry who set up Manu Ginobili for a three
pointer with 2:38 to play, and then nailed a three of his own the next time down the floor to finish off the Kings, who fall
to 0-2.
"With Manu starting and Brent coming off the bench, they got better," said Peja Stojakovic, who made two baskets in the
first two minutes and then only three more the rest of the way. "They've got better shooters, better spacing."
San Antonio has never lost a season opener in the Duncan era, but it got off to a shaky start tonight as the Spurs missed
nine of their first ten shots, with only a Duncan put back to show for their efforts. The Kings led 11-2 and Popovich was
hot. "We went to the bench and got our first earful of the year, and we came out and responded," Duncan said.
The Spurs responded by repeatedly going inside, forcing the Kings to foul. Brad Miller (2 fouls), Greg Ostertag (3 fouls),
and Chris Webber (2 fouls) were all sent to the bench in foul trouble. The Spurs took advantage, making nine of twelve free
throws in the quarter, including a perfect six of six from Duncan.
Despite shooting under 35% in the quarter, the Spurs led 25-23 after twelve minutes thanks to free throw shooting and a 16-6
run to give the home team their first lead of the year.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Kings were unable to handle Duncan in the paint, putting the Spurs in the
penalty just over two minutes into the quarter. Mr. Double-Double had his first of the year late in the second quarter,
scoring eight straight points, and twenty in the half. The Spurs were able to stretch their lead to seven just before the
half thanks to Duncan. With the Kings defense collapsing on Duncan as soon as the ball entered the paint, TD was able to
find Tony Parker on the wing for the team's first three pointer of the season and a 52-45-halftime lead.
Kings coach Rick Adelman made a few subtle halftime adjustments in the way the Kings defended Duncan, allowing Webber to
front Duncan while Miller played behind Duncan, forcing him to make tougher shots over the seven foot center.
With the extra attention being paid to Duncan, Spurs center Rasho Nesterovic was allowed to roam free and grab rebounds for
easy put backs. Nesterovic scored six of his eight points in the quarter, all coming on second chance opportunities. The
Spurs dominated the Kings on the glass, out-rebounding them 54-36, and scoring twenty-six second chance points, compared to
just six for the Kings.
Webber kept the visitors close. After missing eight of ten shots in the opening half, Webber came alive in the third quarter
scoring eight points, but he had little help as Stojakovic went cold, and Doug Christie played limited minutes due to a sore
foot that kept him out of the Kings opener. The Kings trailed 76-67 after three quarters, but any chance they had of coming
back was eliminated when Barry began to find his rhythm.
"That's one guy I don't worry about shooting the ball,” said Malik Rose, who came off the bench to grab nine rebounds.
“That guy has one of the purest shots in the league. Bottom line…he knows how to shoot it."
Duncan, like he did forty-nine times last year, led the Spurs in scoring with a quiet 30 points (11-17 from the floor, and
8-8 from the free throw line) and 14 rebounds. Ginobili chipped in 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while Barry added 16
points, and Parker 10 points.
Mike Bibby's 23 points led the Kings while Webber added 18 points and Stojakovic had 15 points, but they combined to go 12
of 35 from the floor.
Afterwards when Popovich was asked to describe Barry's game, he talked about him being not just a shooter; “Obviously he
can shoot the ball, but what people don't understand is how good of a basketball player he is. He's a really smart player
whose basketball quotient is really high, and that helps our whole team."
Tonight it helped the Spurs and Tim Duncan stay perfect on opening night.
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