The San Antonio Spurs suffered a major setback Monday night as All-Star guard Manu Ginobli broke a bone in his right hand and is expected to be out for four to six weeks. It happened midway through the second quarter and was the turning point in the game, as the Spurs lost their defensive focus and ultimately could not keep up with Minnesota’s hot shooting, losing the game 106-96.

The loss of Ginobli is a huge blow to the Spurs who had centered their entire offense around the multi-talented Argentinian this year. The Spurs medical staff reported he had broken the fifth metatarsal bone on his shooting hand and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.

His absence obviously means more minutes for younger players like James Anderson and TJ Ford, but also means a major revamping of the offensive scheme. No Ginobli also throws a monkey-wrench in Coach Pop’s long-tern plan to keep down the playing time of his veteran players like Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, who are now almost certainly going to have to log more minutes in order for the Spurs to stay competitive.

Beating San Antonio the night after they broke their 18-game losing streak is a major accomplishment for the Timberwolves. That kind of emotional resilience demonstrates that the Rick Adelman system is already taking hold in Minnesota and augurs well for the talented young team.

The Timberwolves started off hot and dominated the first quarter 35-25. The Spurs responded to the loss of Ginobli in the second, and cut it to a seven point lead at half. But the Timberwolves shooting remained hot, and eventually proved too much for the Spurs as they coasted to a 10 point win with both teams looking tired in the fourth.

The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan and Richard Jefferson with 16 each. Tony Parker with 11 and Tiago Splitter with 12 points were the only other Spurs in double figures. Minnesota Forward Kevin love continued his breakout year, with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Luke Ridenour also chipped in 19 points and 9 assists. Ricky Rubio had an off night with just six points and three assists.

San Antonio moves to 3-2 on the season with the loss. The Spurs have Tuesday off and then travel to California to play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The 2012 San Antonio Spurs schedule continues into January when the team plays 18 games in a 29-day span. The Spurs open the month on Monday, Jan. 2, against the Minnesota Timberwolves before coming home for a nice three-game stand. Some of the more notable games include a Jan. 8 match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder and then a game against the Miami heat on Jan. 17. The team went 3-1 in December games and looks to continue doing well in the Southwest division standings as the only team above .500 so far.

January 2012 San Antonio Spurs Schedule

Monday, Jan. 2

San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m. CT

Wednesday, Jan. 4

Golden State Warriors at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Thursday, Jan. 5

Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Saturday, Jan. 7

Denver Nuggets at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Sunday, Jan. 8

San Antonio at Oklahoma City Thunder, 6 p.m. CT

Tuesday, Jan. 10

San Antonio at Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m. CT

Wednesday, Jan. 11

Houston Rockets at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Friday, Jan. 13

Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Sunday, Jan. 15

Phoenix Suns at San Antonio, 8 p.m. CT

Tuesday, Jan. 17

San Antonio at Miami Heat, 6:30 p.m. CT

Wednesday, Jan. 18

San Antonio at Orlando Magic, 6 p.m. CT

Friday, Jan. 20

Sacramento Kings at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Saturday, Jan. 21

San Antonio at Houston, 7 p.m. CT

Monday, Jan. 23

San Antonio at New Orleans Hornets, 7 p.m. CT

Wednesday, Jan. 25

Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. CT

Friday, Jan. 27

San Antonio at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT

Sunday, Jan. 29

San Antonio at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. CT

Monday, Jan. 30

San Antonio at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. CT

Source:

Spurs Main Site

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The AT&T Center was rocking for the San Antonio Spurs NBA season-opener Monday night. It was a sell out crowd, including Spurs owner Peter Holt, actor Tommy Lee Jones and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin of Baylor, and the home team did not disappoint pulling away for a 95-82 win over Memphis. The crowd was very much into the game, as fans all across Texas (including myself) were happy that the delayed NBA season was finally underway.

The victory was sweet revenge for San Antonio, as they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last year by the Grizzlies. It should also be noted that the Grizzlies are at full strength now with Rudy Gay back from injury, and everyone on the roster relatively healthy at this point.

The first half of the game was a back and forth affair, with the Spurs getting off to a slow start in the first quarter but coming on in the second. Memphis scored 22 points in both quarters of the first half to take a one point lead into the locker room.

Coach Popovich must have given the Spurs a rousing halftime speech as the came out breathing fire on defense in the third quarter, holding the Grizzlies to just 15 points while putting up 29. Memphis could not play enough defense to slow the Spurs down and San Antonio ended up with a 13 point margin of victory.

It took the Spurs a few minutes to get into form, but overall it was the Grizzlies who seemed rusty on the court. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins summed up his team’s performance succinctly, “We didn’t play well at all.”

Manu Ginobli was the leading scorer for the Spurs and in the game with 24 points. Second year center Tiago Splitter also turned in a solid performance with 5 points and 8 rebounds. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spurs went back to the old-style in your face defense that has been their trademark to notch this win, and coach Pop wisely limited Tim Duncan to just 22 minutes in the game. The Spurs face another talented young team in the up-and-coming Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday December 28 in LA.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

As we near the end of the year, remembering great moments for basketball fans of the San Antonio Spurs can bring a smile. Although these moments were still selected for their flash, they were also selected for the bigger picture they created. Here are 5 great moments for the Spurs from 2011.

Gary Neal 3-Pointer: As a rookie, your impact is not always as visible and as momentous; not so of this great play. Gary Neal’s Play of the Day had all the suspense of a buzzer shot and all the added joy of overtime potential, which the Spurs were able to turn their way into an OT victory. Winning game 5 of the first round of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 27, 2011 kept the Spurs alive in the series.

Block, Pass, Dunk: Tim Duncan gets the ball away and then Manu Ginobili scores at the other end of the court in this great moment, Duncan Blocks and Ginobili Jams. Highlights for the Spurs were plentiful this day including great teamwork, blocks, fast breaks and slams. This basketball game, played on April 6, 2011 at home in the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas opposing the Sacramento Kings, produced San Antonio’s 60th win during the season, securing them as the first seed in the Western Conference and entertaining the Spurs’ fans.

Parker to the Bucket: Tony Parker’s highlighted shot this game was just part of his overall 33 points, with Manu Ginobili adding 25 points and Tim Duncan adding 22 points. The Spurs gained the win against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Beating a Southwest Division rival, especially one of the Mavericks caliber and on the Mavericks home court at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas was a top moment for the San Antonio Spurs in 2011.

All-Star Head Coach: The January 24, 2011 win against the Golden State Warriors along with other San Antonio Spurs’ wins led to Gregg Popovich, Coach Pop, being named the coach for the Western Conference all-stars. A winning coach is an important ingredient in San Antonio’s success so this distinction was a great moment for the Spurs.

Draft Night 2011: Another important element of success for a team is building a future. The Spurs gained Kawhi Leonard from the San Diego State Aztecs and Cory Joseph from the University of Texas Longhorns, Leonard and Joseph Introduction, as draft picks for 2011. Hopefully this 2011 draft moment will bring great future moments too.

Jade Harris first became a fan of the San Antonio Spurs during the David Robinson and Tim Duncan era. Since then there have plenty of moments in which to cheer for the Spurs and their great style of basketball.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.