By the end of the game, the Raptors were reminded that the Spurs have a few other very good players — namely Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. Ginobili had 36 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks as the Spurs utilized a strong fourth quarter to post a 131-124 victory.

Jefferson, who was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. George Hill and Matt Bonner also chipped in with 22 points and 18 points, respectively.

For the Raptors, it was a case of the defense simply not doing enough. They allowed the Spurs to score more than 30 points in each quarters, including 38 in the decisive final stanza. On offense, Toronto was led by Chris Bosh’s 32 points. Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points for the Raptors, while Andrea Bargnani had 17.

With the win, the Spurs are now 3-3. The Raptors fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Gregg Popovich has to be happy with the Spurs victory (Image: Zuma Press)

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Spurs top Raptors without Duncan and Parker

The San Antonio home crowd gave Ginobili a rousing round of applause. Even a few members of the Kings couldn’t stop themselves from clapping for Ginobili.

The Spurs ended up beating the Kings 113-94. Ginobili finished the game with 13 points, three assists, one rebound, one steal and one batted bat.

However, it wasn’t all fun and games for the Argentine guard. The day after the bat incident, Ginobili had to get rabies shots. Although it is uncertain whether the bat had rabies, Ginobili got the rabies shots as a precautionary measure.

“When you can’t dunk anymore,” joked Ginobili, “you’ve got to find some way to make it to the news.”

Here is the Manu Ginobili bat video:

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Ginobili Knocks Out Bat, Gets Rabies Shots

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (Image: Newscom)

In recent weeks, Duncan has been sporting a pair of knee braces. Against the Utah Jazz, Duncan only had on one knee brace.

“It is basically gone,” said Duncan, talking about the pain in his right knee, “so it was good to be out there without a brace on and kind of play well.”

In 31 minutes of action versus the Jazz, Duncan finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists. The Spurs, led by Tony Parker’s 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists, were able to win the game by a final score of 105-99.

Even if Duncan does heal in time for the playoffs, the Spurs still are in a major hole after the news hit that Manu Ginobili is out for the season. For Duncan to win his fifth championship, he’ll need to play better than ever in the postseason.

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Tim Duncan Injury Update – Feeling Better

Manu Ginobili Injured, San Antonio Spurs (Image: Newscom)

In the offseason, Ginobili required ankle surgery and that forced him to miss the first month of action. Then at the All-Star break, the Spurs discovered a stress reaction near his other ankle.

After returning to action, Ginobili felt stiffness in his ankle. After further examination, it was determined that his stress reaction had turned into a stress fracture.

Without Ginobili, San Antonio’s chances of capturing their fifth NBA championship are greatly diminished. In fact, their chances may be non-existent at this point.

The Spurs have previously won NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Currently, the Spurs are the third seed in the Western Conference with a record of 49-27.

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Manu Ginobili Out for the Season

Tony Parker of the Spurs carves up the Hawks (Image: Newscom)

On Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, Parker once again proved that point. In 39 minutes, Parker had 42 points and ten assists while making 18 of his 25 shot attempts from the field and all six of his free throws.

With the score tied going into the final period, Parker took over. Using his blinding speed and midrange jumper, the native of France picked apart the Hawks possession after possession. When it was all said and done, the Spurs had posted a 102-92 victory.

Making the win even more impressive is the fact that San Antonio was shorthanded. Duncan missed the game to rest his aching knees, while Ginobili was limited to 12 minutes in his return to the lineup after missing over a month with an ankle injury.

Roger Mason, Jr. chipped in 18 points for the Spurs, while Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 30 points.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tony Parker Erupts as Spurs Top Hawks

Texas’ three NBA teams are well represented in the 2008 Olympics. The Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki, Houston Rockets Yao Ming, and the San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobili, who each just a few months earlier competed in the NBA playoffs are now set to perform for an even larger world wide audience.

After propelling German men’s basketball team to its first Olympic appearance in sixteen years, Dirk Nowitzki was assigned the honor of carrying the country’s flag in the opening ceremony.

Now with that celebration over, the real work begins. In the preliminary round for group B, Germany’s first match is against Angola. Even greater challenges awaits the erman squad in the upcoming week when they take on European champions Greece, World Champions Spain, the highly motivated and extremely talented USA squad, and China, the host country’s celebrated team.

Leading China’s team is Yao Ming, who is making his third Olympic appearance. China reached the quarterfinals in the 2004 Olympics and will have plenty of fan support this summer as they strive for further progress. Yao Ming, who humbly carried the Olympic torch in Beijing, has a fire in his belly when it comes to competing.

In an interview with local Chinese media, Ming said, “I think we should focus on how to do well at this Olympics because (the Beijing Games) has been a dream for us all.”

Manu Ginobili along with a battle tested Argentina squad is looking to make their dream of Olympic championship repeat come true. Argentina’s first obstacle to overcome is the team from Lithuania. Both teams have been assigned to group A, along with Australia, Iran, Russia, and Croatia.

When asked to describe his team’s chemistry, Manu said, “We are hard workers and we just want the best for our teammates. On every team, that’s huge. We got all the roles well-covered and we’re all looking for just one simple goal.”

For all these players, though the goal is clear, the results remain to be seen.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Texas Olympic Trio