Replacing Parker no easy task

The final horn had long since sounded Friday, and the sweat had long since dried on the Spurs' much-needed victory over Memphis, but George Hill's work was not yet over.

Towel wrapped around his waist, Hill stood in front of the video screen in the Spurs' locker room and, surrounded by teammates in various stages of re-dressing, was conferring with assistant coach Mike Budenholzer on a defensive assignment he had improperly executed half an hour before.

His shower could wait.

“Just learning the different things to do when I'm out there and in that moment,” Hill said. “That can only make you better.”

Hill, a second-year player who was close to brilliant against Memphis in place of injured point guard Tony Parker, knows he will need to be even better this afternoon. Chauncey Billups, one of the game's top all-around point guards, leads the Denver Nuggets into the AT&T Center for a nationally televised showdown that Parker is also expected to miss.

Good thing for Hill, he has help.

When Parker went down with his latest left ankle sprain against Atlanta, the Spurs put out an all-points bulletin for point guards. Hill was the first replacement against Memphis, but wing players Roger Mason Jr. and Manu Ginobili also chipped in.

That trio combined for 42 points, 13 assists and six steals in a 104-97 victory, helping the Spurs overcome the absence of their All-NBA point guard.

“It's important with (Parker) out that everyone picks up their game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Hill started the charge against Memphis, scoring most of his 18 points on the sort of breakneck drives and acrobatic finishes Parker has popularized.

“Early in the game, he was impressive attacking in transition, sometimes going one against three,” Ginobili said. “That's something Tony does quite often, so it was great to see.”

Ginobili, too, was more aggressive with the ball. He didn't shoot particularly well (5 of 14 en route to 14 points) but was able to create looks for other players off penetration, logging seven assists.

“I did more, knowing TP was not there and he's our main guy attacking the rim,” Ginobili said. “So we needed more of that.”

Mason did his damage on the type of shots Parker rarely attempts. He made 4 of 5 3-pointers on the way to 17 points, including three during a crucial 41/2-minute span of the fourth quarter.

He committed three turnovers at the point — “I'm mad at myself for that,” Mason said — but otherwise produced a solid floor game.

“For me, running the point helps my game,” said Mason, who experienced varying results as a backup point last season. “The biggest thing is you're just touching the ball. You're getting your rhythm, and getting other guys involved.”

The task gets tougher for the Spurs' three-headed point-guard monster today.

Carmelo Anthony, the NBA's leading scorer at 29.7 points per game, is questionable after missing three consecutive games with a left ankle sprain.

Billups, however, will be in uniform, and that has been the most accurate harbinger of success for Denver this season. The Nuggets are 3-6 with Billups out of the lineup, 28-9 when he plays.

As a rookie last season, Hill started one game against Billups with Parker out, holding his own in a loss at Denver.

“He's somebody I look up to as a point guard and as a player,” Hill said. “I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor with him.”

Before Hill can see Billups on the floor, however, he wants to see him in the film room. Before he finally left the Spurs' locker room Friday night, Hill had made another date with the team's video machine.

“I'll get back to the film room and study him,” Hill said. “That's how a player gets better. I'll try to see how I can make my job a little easier.”