The San Antonio Spurs picked up their 50th win of the season last night in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With over a month left in the regular season, they have already matched last season’s win total.
George Hill, who struggled in his first start for the injured Tony Parker against Memphis, must have shaken off any remaining rust on his way to 22 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal all scored in double figures for the Spurs while former Spur Alonzo Gee put up 18 for the Cavaliers.
With the win, the Spurs are now 5.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is also just 10 wins away from eclipsing Red Auerbach for second place in most coaching wins with one team.
In Retrospect
Jeff Garcia spoke to Glenn Moore of the Dugout Sports Show before the game. He had this to say about last night’s game:
“With Tony Parker out, I want to see Ramon Sessions play well against the Spurs. Also, I want to see Hickson bang around with a guy like Blair. The Cavs have been giving up a lot of offensive rebounds to their opponents. If the Cavs can get fast break points and control the glass, they have a chance. I say the magic continues in Cleveland and they beat the Spurs, 109-105.”
Quoteable
“As long as TP is out, that is what he is going to have to do. He will have to accept that role and give us some fire from that position” – Tim Duncan on George Hill.
In Black and White
Spurs bounce back against Cavs (San Antonio Express-News).
San Antonio Easily Dismisses Cleveland (Cleveland Plain Dealer).
Fantasy Focus
If George Hill is sitting on the waiver wire, grab him now. He struggled in his first game, but I don’t foresee that happening again. He is seeing a major increase in playing time since Tony Parker is out and the Spurs will be counting on him to deliver. His 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and field goal percentage should help in several categories and, while it wasn’t the case last night, he’s known to be very accurate on his corner threes.
Cavs forward Samardo Samuels is definitely one to put on your watch list. He was promoted to the starting lineup prior to last night’s game and he did not disappoint. Samuels finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, and while I don’t expect him to consistently put up those kinds of points, he’s had big nights when given decent minutes and will have more opportunities now as a starter.
The Four Factors
