Spurs-Kings Preview
Sacramento, CA – Perhaps the San Antonio Spurs can at least take some solace in knowing they’ve been able to adjust to losing a starting point guard before.
With Tony Parker already out, the Spurs will likely have to get by without George Hill as they visit the lowly Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Spurs -6 point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against the Kings. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 85% of more the 367 bets for this game have been placed on the Spurs -6.
A 100-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday was bittersweet for San Antonio (47-29), which outplayed the Western Conference’s top team to secure a playoff spot but lost Hill to a sprained ankle in the second quarter.
Hill, expected to miss at least two games, has averaging 15.8 points in 41 games as a starter this season.
He moved to point guard when Parker broke his right ring finger in early March.
"I’m a little worried about everything that’s coming up now without George," coach Gregg Popovich said. "It’s going to be difficult to … have Manu (Ginobili) play the point in all these games coming up. We’ll have to figure something out."
San Antonio has six games remaining, four this week. Parker may return next week.
The Spurs may decide to keep Ginobili in his role as the team’s top reserve, instead giving Roger Mason Jr. the starting spot in place of Hill.
This is a tough time for San Antonio to be short-handed. The Spurs are in seventh place in the West, a half-game behind Oklahoma City and a half-game ahead of Portland.
San Antonio, though, has won 15 of 20 after losing 11 of the previous 19.
"We struggled for half of the season or a little more, but now we are playing better," Ginobili said. "Even though we’re in the seventh spot and it’s not going to be easy, we know now that nobody’s that much better than us. So that’s a big thing in your head."
Ginobili had 32 points versus the Lakers after posting a season-high 43 in a 112-100 win over Orlando on Friday night. He has averaged 25.5 points over his last 15 games.
Ginobili was one of four Spurs to score at least 20 points in a 115-113 win over Sacramento on Feb. 3, the teams’ last meeting. San Antonio has won eight straight in the series, shooting 46.0 percent from 3-point range.
Sacramento (24-53) enters this matchup on a seven-game losing streak, averaging 88.7 points and shooting 42.4 percent in that span. The Kings lost 98-87 to Portland on Saturday night in their return from a five-game trip.
"We have to learn how to get the shots that we want in the fourth quarter, make sure we get the calls in the fourth quarter and get stops in the fourth quarter," coach Paul Westphal said. "Those are all things that we are working on and need to improve and will continue to do so for the rest of the season and for as long as I am here."
Kings Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans is coming off one of his worst performances, shooting 2 for 12 and finishing with six points. The 6-foot-6 guard played despite some swelling in his right knee.
Evans had 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the last meeting with San Antonio.
Posted: 4/6/2010 1:55AM ET