Spurs vs. Trail Blazers GAMEDAY: Can San Antonio Contain Damian Lillard?
On Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs continue their five-game West Coast road trip with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Spurs will seek to bounce back from a massive 132-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors but will have to do so on the second night of a back-to-back. Jordan Poole scored a season-high 36 points and led the way with Klay Thompson sidelined and Stephen Curry totaling just 16 points.
"It would have been great to have Tre, but the Warriors played better than we did in every facet," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We didn't move it very well. I thought we were a little bit soft. They shot it very well; we didn't. The ball didn't move, so we got beat pretty good."
Jeremy Sochan initiated more of the offense with Tre Jones sidelined. Overall, the offense just didn't come close to executing nearly well enough, but a key factor was the 10-40 (25.0 percent) shooting from 3-point range. The two rising star wings, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, struggled to get much going offensively with a combined 21 points with Johnson accounting for 15.
"We had been talking about it for a while now and running it in practice and stuff," Sochan said afterward of playing the point. "It comes naturally for me to see the court."
The Trail Blazers just wrapped up a long road trip, finishing with a 4-2 record. The final game featured a 117-112 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which Luka Doncic recorded a 42-point triple double and a barrage of 3-pointers in clutch-time from the Mavs proved to be too much to overcome.
"I think it was a great road trip for us, could have been great with this one," Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said. "Obviously if you told us we was going to get 4-2 when we left Portland, we would have said we'll take it.
"Wish we would have been able to get this one, but 4-2 going back home for a short stretch is fine with me."
INJURY REPORT (SPURS): Not Yet Submitted.
INJURY REPORT (TRAIL BLAZERS): Jusuf Nurkic - Questionable (Adductor Soreness), Keon Johnson - Questionable (Hip Pointer), Justise Winslow - Questionable (Non-Covid Illness), Gary Payton II - Out (Return to Competition Reconditioning), Olivier Sarr - Out (Wrist Sprain)
RECORDS: San Antonio Spurs (6-8), Portland Trail Blazers (9-4)
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at 9:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Moda Center (Portland, OR)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA League Pass
RADIO: Spurs Radio - WOAI 1200
ODDS: -8.0 Trail Blazers
NEXT UP: After taking on the Trail Blazers, the Spurs will continue their road trip against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
FINAL WORD: Gregg Popovich reflects on Warriors' "Run TMC"
“It was very special. When I was here as an assistant I got to enjoy Timmy and Mully — Mitch was gone," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was cool, it was fast-paced, it was creative. The people really bought into it. It was a wonderful time in the NBA. These guys were one of the best shows available, for sure.”
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