3 Takeaways from Blazers Loss Against the Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers are on a losing streak after falling to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 125-103 inside the Moda Center.

The Blazers were exhausted from their NBA Cup loss against the Los Angeles Lakers the night before, and it really showed against the Spurs, who were also on the second night of a back-to-back. Ultimately, the Blazers did not bring enough effort, and it cost them mightily against one of the best teams in the league. Here's a look at three takeaways from the contest.

Yang Hansen Showed Us Something

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen defends the basket during the second half | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there was anything positive that stemmed from this game, it was Yang Hansen's first career double-double. Yang scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and he extended his action because Robert Williams III did not play during the game as part of the second night of a back-to-back.

Blazers head coach Micah Nori checked Yang into the game early in the first quarter, and he saw minutes throughout the contest. The hope moving forward is that he can use this game to help boost his confidence. The team may count on him more later on in the season as games start to pile up and more mileage gets placed on the players higher than him on the depth chart.

No Answer for Wemby

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks to fans as he walks to the locker room. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Victor Wembanyama is playing like an MVP candidate, as he made 9 of his 13 shots for 29 points during the game in just 24 minutes of action. He's an absolute game changer out there, and it's hard to defend him because he's unlike any other player in the league.

Portland saw firsthand how difficult it was to defend against him during the playoffs last season, and it's clear that he is only going to get better as time goes on.

Blazers Can't Make Excuses

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's easy to chalk this one up as a schedule loss for the Blazers, considering they had to travel throughout the night to get back from Los Angeles. That wasn't the full reason they lost this game, though. They were outplayed by the Spurs on both ends of the floor and couldn't get much momentum going throughout the night.

There's a reason the Spurs led wire to wire and built a lead as large as 35 points. That isn't just from the tough travel. The Blazers were far from the better team during the game, and they need to take responsibility for that.

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