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Spurs guard out for 2 weeks

Spurs' star Manu Ginobili missed 22 games with a broken hand and returned but is now sidelined again for two weeks with an oblique strain. Said coach Gregg Popovich: "As competitive as he is, it's just killing him. He was just beginning to get in shape again — finding a little rhythm. He's pretty depressed."

Parker, Duncan duo impresses

Jazz point guard Earl Watson on why San Antonio's pick-and-roll is so effective: "Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Tim does a great job of setting the screen, and Tony does a good job of attacking the bigs when he gets separation. You have to fight over that screen, but it's not easy to do against a guy as big as Tim."

Dawson 'paid his dues'

Eric Dawson went to high school in San Antonio and spent five years in the D-League before finally being called up by the Spurs last week: "He's really paid his dues and worked extremely hard," Popovich said. "It's fun to give him this opportunity — to get into uniform and be with us."

Jazz use morning shoot-around

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin called for a rare morning shoot-around before the Jazz played back-to-back games against San Antonio: "I think it's better to come in and watch film — get the guys moving around a little bit. ... We're better when we get out of bed and come in and spend some time together."