Warriors at Spurs
THE STORY: The San Antonio Spurs begin a difficult stretch Wednesday night as they face the visiting Golden State Warriors in their first game without injured swingman Manu Ginobili. The speedy veteran suffered a broken fifth metatarsal on his left hand in Monday's 106-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and could miss the next eight weeks of action. With teams playing a condensed schedule, that could mean the loss of a half-season or more - something the Spurs can ill afford to deal with considering the strength of the Western Conference and the average age of their roster. San Antonio puts a perfect home record on the line against a Warriors club coming off consecutive losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns. Golden State had shown some defensive pluck in its previous two games - allowing an average of 84.5 points in wins over Chicago and New York - but let the Sixers and Suns post triple digits to fall back below the .500 mark for the season.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Fox Sports Southwest.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (2-3): With each of Golden State's marquee guards - Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry - missing time already this season, the Warriors are on the verge of adding some much needed depth. Reports suggest the team is close to signing veteran guard Nate Robinson, who won't be in the lineup Wednesday but could play later in the week. Robinson will provide some scoring punch among a reserve group that hasn't done much to date.
ABOUT THE SPURS (3-2): San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich kept things simple when discussing Ginobili's broken hand. "Manu is pretty important to us and we lost him," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "We'll just have to deal with it." His absence means extended playing time for James Anderson, The Spurs' first-round pick in 2010. The 22-year-old has struggled with his shooting stroke of late, making just four of his last 15 shots.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. San Antonio swept the four-game head-to-head series a season ago, scoring at least 111 points in each contest. The Spurs have won 12 straight in the series, and 26 consecutive home games against the Warriors.
2. Tim Duncan is averaging a career-low 23 1/2 minutes through the first five games of the season. The 35-year-old has seen his minutes decrease in six consecutive seasons.
3. Warriors F David Lee (illness) is hoping to return to the starting lineup after missing Monday's game. Lee was hospitalized and given an IV before being released.