by Mike Monroe, STAFF , San Antonio Express-News

Their game tonight against the Toronto Raptors is the first of three straight at home. A trip to Dallas on Nov. 18 will be followed by four more at home. And a trip to Houston for a Nov. 26 game will be followed by three more at the AT&T Center.

Before they leave for their next multiple-game road trip on Dec. 12, the Spurs will have played 12 of 15 games on their own court.

After losses in back-to-back road games, the Spurs are anxious to take advantage of their home-intensive slate.

"It's always important to protect your house, and you want to win your home games," said George Hill, the likely starter at point guard if, as expected, All-Star Tony Parker does not suit up tonight because of a left ankle sprain. "I think a lot of people are going to be amped up to try to get things rolling. We've gotten off to a bad start, but in Basketball, you have your ups and downs.

"We're not trying to win a sprint, right now. It's a marathon. You start all over. It's a new game, a new day. Get things rolling off to the right start."

For a team trying to work six new players into its lineup, the home-heavy schedule presents an opportunity to work on lineups and chemistry under optimum circumstance.

"It's important," said newcomer Richard Jefferson, still finding his way as the team's new starter at small forward. "The most important thing we want to establish is how we're going to play, not necessarily home court, or on the road, but establish the way we're going to play for 48 minutes. That's something we haven't done a very good job of yet, but we're still pretty confident."

A screaming Spur: Jefferson punctuated an amazing dunk over Portland center Greg Oden on Friday night with a scream that reverberated for a few seconds in The Rose Garden as the Trail Blazers' lead - which was once 17 points - was cut to six with two minutes left in the game.

The Spurs have built a reputation as one of the NBA's most boringly efficient teams during the Tim Duncan era, so Jefferson was asked to explain his rare show of emotion.

"I'm not a very emotional person," Jefferson said. "I don't scream and yell and jump up and down. That was more just that play. I got really excited because we were coming back, really trying to make a push there in the last couple of minutes, so there was some excitement there. The screaming part was more about showing some enthusiasm.

"Those are the types of plays that get your team pumped up, that get your bench standing up, that can quiet a crowd or pick up a crowd. There's nothing wrong with showing a little emotion in this game."

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