"When Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball more than a century ago, he took pains to hang his peach baskets at both ends of the court.

This "two ends to a basketball game" thing is a phenomenon the Spurs would be wise to remember the next time they venture outside the AT&T Center.

With rare exception on the road, when the Spurs' offense has been on, the defense has been off. When the defense is on, the offense gives Naismith's inaugural game an aesthetic run for its money.

It didn't take coach Gregg Popovich long to determine which end was the culprit in the Spurs' 87-79 loss at Minnesota on Friday.

"If we're on the road, and we hold somebody to 87 points, I think you've got a good chance to win," Popovich said.

Later in the Target Center locker room, Spurs point guard Tony Parker zeroed in on another number in the box score.

"We only scored 79 points," he said. "That's not enough."

For the Spurs, it was, in fact, a season low."