Spurs vs. Pacers Jan. 6th - Grades

[timvp]

Tim Duncan
Duncan had a breakout game of sorts, scoring 27 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and blocking five shots against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. It was the most he scored since he put up 34 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 11. Though it’s true that he’s struggled in a few games finding his rhythm, the main reason he hasn’t been scoring more as of late is his minutes have been held down. In December, he averaged only 33.9 minutes per game.
GRADE: 91
JANUARY: 83.7
SEASON: 87

Bruce Bowen
It was a solid game all-around for Bowen. Offensively, he had another good showing. He scored 11 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field, 1-for-2 from three-point range and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. Bowen is in the best offensive groove of his career. Over the last five games, he’s averaging 11.2 points. That number is still 10.8 points per game when looking at the last ten games. Defensively, he did a fine job of chasing Reggie Miller and not letting him get hot.
GRADE: 89
JANUARY: 85.3
SEASON: 84.8

Rasho Nesterovic
Nesterovic was in foul trouble for much of the game, finishing with five fouls in 22 minutes of action. While he was on the court, he finished with four points and seven rebounds. Over the last three games, he’s done an especially good job rebounding the ball. He has 26 rebounds in 69 minutes, which calculates out to 18.1 rebounds per 48 minutes.
GRADE: 83
JANUARY: 86.3
SEASON: 82.9

Manu Ginobili
Ginobili was very aggressive versus the Pacers. He attacked the basket whenever possible, often putting his body on the line in hopes of scoring at the hoop. He finished with 18 points, while shooting 4-for-10 from the field, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 8-for-11 from the charity stripe. His 11 free throw attempts were the second most he’s had in a game this season.
GRADE: 89
JANUARY: 86.7
SEASON: 87.9

Tony Parker
After two games in which he failed to score in double figures, Parker bounced back in a big way. He scored 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field. The key for him was getting back to penetrating and finishing at the rim. Taking the ball to the basket also got him to the free throw line, where he hit all six of his shots. In addition to his scoring, Parker also dished out six assists, pulled down five rebounds and hit 2-of-4 three-pointers.
GRADE: 93
JANUARY: 81
SEASON: 85.9

Robert Horry
Horry had his most active game of the season. He was all over the court hustling with and without the ball. In 23 minutes, he recorded 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. In addition, he hit 3-of-5 shots from the floor, 1-of-2 from the three-point line and 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
GRADE: 94
JANUARY: 88
SEASON: 85.3

Beno Udrih
With Udrih playing so well, head coach Gregg Popovich has started utilizing a backcourt consisting of Parker and Udrih. With that backcourt, the Spurs have two very good ballhandlers who can orchestrate the offense. Against the Pacers, the rookie point guard from Slovenia had another solid showing. He had six points, three rebounds, three assists and finished with no turnovers for the sixth straight game.
GRADE: 88
JANUARY: 85.7
SEASON: 84.5

Brent Barry
Questionable coming into the game due to flu-like symptoms, Barry had a rough outing. He hit only one of his four attempts to finish with three points and two assists. The good news for Barry is that he was the first swingman off the bench again. If Popovich sticks with that strategy, Barry should get plenty of minutes from now on.
GRADE: 76
JANUARY: 84.3
SEASON: 82.3

Malik Rose
With Horry above him in the rotation, Rose struggled some in his minutes off the bench. He scored two points and had four rebounds, while shooting 1-for-4 from the field. To successful in the role he finds himself in now, Rose is going to have to come off the bench with high energy but can’t try to do too much.
GRADE: 76
JANUARY: 76.3
SEASON: 84.5

Devin Brown
Barry is now the first swingman off the bench, relegating Brown to spot duty. In his nine minutes against Indiana, Brown didn’t do anything of note. It’s going to be a tough transition for Brown, but he has to make the most out of it.
GRADE: 75
JANUARY: 80.3
SEASON: 84.3

[Slo spurs fan]

Beno Udrih
With Udrih playing so well, head coach Gregg Popovich has started utilizing a backcourt consisting of Parker and Udrih. With that backcourt, the Spurs have two very good ballhandlers who can orchestrate the offense. Against the Pacers, the rookie point guard from Slovenia had another solid showing. He had six points, three rebounds, three assists and finished with no turnovers for the sixth straight game.
GRADE: 88
JANUARY: 85.7
SEASON: 84.5


Make it eight!