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Timberwolves-Spurs Preview

Dec 28, 2009 - 8:31 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Minnesota (7-24) at San Antonio (17-11), 8:30 p.m. EDT

There's nothing surprising about consecutive victories from the San Antonio Spurs, who have won eight of 10 overall to seemingly put their early season mediocrity behind them.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' back-to-back wins, however, practically register as shocking.

A third straight Minnesota victory for the first time in nearly a year would certainly qualify as a stunner, as the Spurs seek a 10th consecutive victory over the Timberwolves and an 11th straight at home in the series Tuesday night.

San Antonio (17-11) found itself at .500 through 18 games while adjusting to a roster filled with new faces, but has played more like the decade's winningest team over the past three weeks.

The Spurs have shot 51.9 percent from the floor over their last 10 games and averaged 104.8 points, with Tim Duncan scoring 21.1 per game to lead the way.

Duncan scored 26 in a 112-97 win in Milwaukee on Saturday, but it was Tony Parker's turn to carry the offense a night later in New York. Duncan was held to 13, but Parker had a team-high 22 in a 95-88 victory over the Knicks.

"The whole season is about jelling for us, try to adapt to all the new guys," Parker said. "We changed more than half of the team, so it'll take some time."

While Parker and Duncan have provided stability as Richard Jefferson, Keith Bogans, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess get acclimated to their new club, it's the team's other championship holdover who's been the biggest wild card.

Manu Ginobili has scored in single digits six times in 14 games since returning from a groin injury Nov. 29, but when he's productive, the Spurs typically win. San Antonio is 10-2 this season when Ginobili has at least 13 points, and he did that both Saturday and Sunday while shooting 55.0 percent.

"I'm very happy with the way I played the last two games and the way the team played," said Ginobili, held to seven points in each of his last two home games. "It's going to be a nice trip home."

Six of the Spurs' next eight take place at the AT&T Center, and they should feel pretty good about facing Minnesota (7-24) to open that stretch. They've won the past nine meetings in the series by an average of 10.6 points and have limited the Timberwolves to 83.9 per game in winning the last 10 in San Antonio, where Minnesota hasn't won since Jan. 14, 2004.

Ginobili has averaged 24.3 points on 57.0 percent shooting in his last eight games against the Timberwolves. Parker averaged 33.0 points versus Minnesota last season, including a career-high 55 in an overtime win at the Target Center on Nov. 5, 2008.

All of a sudden, however, the Timberwolves are playing nothing like the team that lost 15 straight earlier this season. Minnesota has won its last two and is 4-3 over the past two weeks after beating Washington 101-89 on Saturday behind a career-high 27 points from Corey Brewer.

"I feel like we are a young team and we are just getting better game-by-game and hopefully we can keep it up all season," said Brewer, averaging 16.7 points over his past seven games.

Al Jefferson averaged 29.0 points and 11.0 rebounds against the Spurs last season, but teammate Kevin Love was held to 9.0 points per game on 37.1 percent shooting. Love, though, has posted double-doubles in eight straight games.