Spurs at Pistons
THE STORY: The San Antonio Spurs withstood the loss of Manu
Ginobili and have stayed on a roll despite being booted out of their
home arena because of the rodeo. The Spurs look to remain perfect on
their season-long nine-game road trip when they visit the Detroit
Pistons on Tuesday. San Antonio is seeking its eighth straight victory
overall and four in a row on its annual Rodeo Road Trip. The Pistons had
their four-game winning streak snapped Sunday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Spurs), FS Detroit (Pistons)
ABOUT THE SPURS (19-9): Ginobili returned from a 22-game absence
because of a broken hand and scored eight points in 17 minutes in
Saturday’s 103-89 win at New Jersey. One of his goals will be to avoid
disrupting the team’s chemistry. “I just want to contribute, help a
little bit, don't change anything of what the team's doing, just try to
fit in again,” he said. Forward Tim Duncan is riding a streak of four
consecutive double-doubles – his longest of the season. The Spurs will
be looking to win eight straight for the first time since Jan. 7-21,
2011.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (8-21): Detroit’s bid for a fifth straight
win was derailed when it scored a season-low 32 second-half points in
absorbing an ugly home loss to the lowly Washington Wizards. Center Greg
Monroe scored a season-high 27 points and is averaging 21.3 points over
his last six games. Austin Daye appeared to be emerging as another
offensive option off the bench, but he has gone cold in February,
scoring a total of 14 points in six games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. San Antonio is allowing opponents an average of 86.3 points during its seven-game winning streak.
2. In the loss to the Wizards, the Pistons were held to less than 80 points for the eighth time this season.
3. Detroit center Ben Wallace can set the NBA record for career games
played by an undrafted player. He is tied with Avery Johnson at 1,054
games.