Shorthanded Spurs exposed Blazers' offensive struggles, dropping Portland back to .500 and intensifying their play-in race pressure.
The Portland Trail Blazers had an opportunity to steal a win from a shorthanded San Antonio Spurs team on Wednesday night. With both Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle sidelined, the door was open for Portland to take advantage, but the Blazers were unable to get the job done, falling 112-101.
San Antonio looked sharp from the jump, carving out an early lead and building on it throughout the first half on the way to a double-digit advantage at the break. From there, Portland never did quite enough offensively to flip the game. That has been the issue too often in spots like this, and it showed again here. Scoring just 101 points is rarely going to be enough, especially against a Spurs team that remains dangerous even while missing two of its top players.
Deni Avdija led the way for Portland with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Scoot Henderson added 20 points, Toumani Camara finished with 18, and Donovan Clingan also reached double figures while posting a double-double. There were individual bright spots, but overall, the Blazers just did not have enough consistent offensive punch to keep pace.
With the loss, Portland dropped back to .500 at 40-40. The good news for the Blazers is that everything now shifts to Friday night, when they will face the LA Clippers in a game that could go a long way toward deciding the play-in race.
The Clippers enter that matchup with a one-game edge, so the pressure is squarely on Portland. If LA wins Friday, it takes firm control of that race. If the Blazers win, things tighten right back up and the door stays open entering the final stretch of the season.
It’s coming down to the final days of the season for the Blazers, with every game meaning more than it has all season prior.