Game Grades: Trail Blazers vs. Spurs

Apr 23, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green (4) drives the lane against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at the AT

On the heels of a 16 point victory over Cleveland yesterday, the Spurs upped the ante and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by 35 points. The victory marked their eight consecutive victory by double-digit points (average margin of victory: 20.8 points), which is also a franchise high.

The Spurs, as a team, shot 59.3 percent from the field and Tim Duncan led the team with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. They moved the ball around well, racking up 34 assists on 48 shots, and controlled the game from the opening tip.

James Anderson, SG 21:15 MIN | 4-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 11 PTS | +10

Blowout. James Anderson. When I type those words, it’s usually a pretty good night for the Spurs. Grade: C

DeJuan Blair, C 12:38 MIN | 3-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +12

Blair’s pass to Bonner for his only bucket of the night was awesome. Grade: C+

Matt Bonner, PF 17:49 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 3 PTS | +13

Plus/minus machine strikes again. Grade: C

Boris Diaw, PF 24:40 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 6 AST | 6 PTS | +21

Finally. His assists reveal his impressive passing ability. I’ve been pining for Diaw for awhile and it looks that he is firmly entrenched into the Spurs playoff rotation. Grade: A

Tim Duncan, C 26:19 MIN | 8-13 FG | 2-4 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 18 PTS | +20

We’ll never see vintage Duncan on a consistent basis. But, luckily for us, he still exists. Albeit in short bursts. Grade: B+

Manu Ginobili, SG 17:19 MIN | 2-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +13

Couple of pretty sweet passes to Parker as only he can do. He’s awesome even though tonight’s box score line doesn’t necessarily indicate his awesomeness. Grade: B-

Danny Green, G 14:40 MIN | 6-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 18 PTS | +12

The only blemish on his night? Two turnovers. Grade: A+

Stephen Jackson, SG 22:50 MIN | 6-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 12 PTS | +13

In addition to his nice spin move in the second quarter, Jackson got the rim early and often tonight. Grade: B+

Kawhi Leonard, SF 19:19 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 2 PTS | +17

I’ve noticed that, since Leonard has gotten increasingly proficient from behind the arc, he’s been able to use the defenders hard close outs against them. His only points came on an impressive pull up midrange jumper. Grade: C

Patrick Mills, PG 12:00 MIN | 3-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 9 PTS | +9

Came in, played the point well. Almost scored double-digits. Just a normal day for the 12th man on the team, you know. Grade: B

Gary Neal, PG 19:45 MIN | 3-8 FG | 3-3 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +7

Injury update: X-Rays were negative. Neal’s injury classified as a “stinger.” Grade: B-

Tony Parker, PG 22:23 MIN | 6-11 FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 6 AST | 13 PTS | +25

Parker grabbed seven boards, matching his season-high. Grade: B+

Tiago Splitter, C 9:03 MIN | 2-2 FG | 4-6 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +8

I mentioned this on Twitter, but I’m going to do so again. Splitter scored four points per shot tonight. Ridiculous. Grade: B

Conclusion. I expected a 17-point victory tonight in my preview, but the Spurs won by 35. Hey, I’ll take it.