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Spurs attempt to rebound against Blazers

As it turns out, the Old Lion could use a little checkup as well.  The Spurs have won 2 games this year, both times scoring 113 on their hapless opponents.  On the other hand they have also lost 2, showing a definite lack of hap on the road against  Chicago and Utah, topping the century mark neither time en route to double-digit losses.  They've either crushed (at home) or been crushed (on the road).  Obviously the Blazers hope that story continues tonight. Normally you'd like the aging Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back against tough opponents, but the Old Lion King, Greg Popovich, is sticking to an interesting strategy to start the season.  Every Spur in the legitimate rotation plays between 20 and 29 minutes per game from Tony Parker at the high end to George Hill down low.  Last night 10 Spurs were in the 17-30 minute range.  Channeling Hubie Brown lets Pops keep his troops fresh and probably mitigates the fatigue factor tonight. In general the Spurs have done an excellent job shooting the ball, particularly from beyond the arc.  They've averaged 6 more three-point attempts than their opponents, making 2.3 more, and shooting better.  They're a full 5 percentage points above their opponents in overall field goal percentage.  As usual they keep the turnovers down and the defensive rebounds up.  You have to beat them the old-fashioned way.  They're not going to give it away. Keeping with another Spurs tradition they trail handily in offensive rebounds.  They've also given away 5 more free throws per game to the opponent though it hasn't crippled them because opponents have shot horribly from the stripe.