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Warriors look for rare road win vs. Spurs

Apr 7, 2007 - 3:17 PM Golden State (37-39) at San Antonio (54-21) 8:00 pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich already has his eyes on the second round of the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors are simply trying to get into the postseason.

Trying to track down the second seed in the Western Conference, the Spurs on Saturday host the Golden State Warriors, who have not won here since Tim Duncan entered the NBA.

After Thursday's 92-85 victory over second-place Phoenix, the Spurs (54-21) are 2 1/2 games behind the Suns (57-19) for the second seed. The teams have one more meeting in Phoenix.

"We're in charge of our destiny," said Popovich, whose team has won eight of its last nine games. "To win the whole enchilada, you have to win at home and you have to win on the road.

"Should we win in the first round, we would have Phoenix in the second round, and I would love to have home court. If we don't, then we still play a seven-game series."

The Spurs have won 18 straight home meetings with the Warriors since February 14, 1997, four months before they drafted Duncan. In 34 career games vs. Golden State, Duncan has averaged 21.7 points and 11.9 rebounds, including 19.4 points and 12.6 rebounds in 16 home wins.

Golden State (37-39) is trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the longest current drought of any club. It is one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers (37-37) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

The Warriors posted a 116-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, their fourth straight win and second in a row on the road. However, Golden State's last loss was a 126-89 home trouncing by San Antonio on March 26.