The Portland Trail Blazers travel to San Antonio where the Spurs distributed free tickets to the game to fans who participated in a Friday blood drive. In turn, Portland will look for San Antonio to be
generous enough to give them a win.
Portland enters the Alamo City after notching a 122-109 victory over New Orleans on Friday.
As of press time, Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama will not take the court against the Blazers as he recovers from hyperextending his knee in a Spurs victory over the Knicks on Wednesday.
Whether Portland faced Wemby or not, the Blazers would have their hands full. The Spurs had a torrid December, including winning eight consecutive games and three against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. A different player led San Antonio in scoring in each of the first seven of those victories.
Saturday’s game will be the second of three contests between the Spurs and Trail Blazers this season. In the teams’ most recent matchup on November 25th, the Spurs defeated the Trail Blazers 115-102 in an NBA Cup game. Coincidentally, San Antonio was without Wembanyama that night. The team rode 37 points from De’Aaron Fox and 23 points from Devin Vassell to victory.
What You Need to Know:
Portland Trail Blazers (15-20) at San Antonio Spurs – (25-9) – Sat. Jan. 3 – 5pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
SB Nation Affiliate: Pounding the Rock
Trail Blazers Injuries: Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley (Out).
Spurs injuries: Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama (Out); Harrison Ingram (Day-to-day).
Stat Leaders:
Trail Blazers: Points, Avdija (25.3 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (10.4). Assists, Avdija (6.9). Steals, Sharpe (1.6). Blocks, Williams (1.4).
Spurs: Points, Wembanyama (23.4 per game). Rebounds, Wembanyama (11.8). Assists, Castle (7.0). Steals, Fox/Castle (1.3). Blocks, Wembanyama (3.0).
Storylines:
See Deez
Former Spurs forward, Sidy Cissoko has been making the most of his opportunity. He came within a point of matching his career high of 20 points in the Blazers’ 124-95 loss Wednesday to Oklahoma City.
Out of Contention?
Wembanyama did not travel with the Spurs to Indiana where San Antonio faced the Pacers last night. He already missed 12 games this season due to a left calf strain. Sitting out tonight’s game, it will be difficult for him to meet the 65-game threshold required to be considered for end-of-season awards.
Undefeated on the Wheels of Steel
DJ Catwalk will be spinning tunes at the Frost Bank Center. The only other time she performed at a Spurs game, San Antonio beat the Grizzlies.
Keeping it Weird
The Blazers will play in their carpet jerseys.
What Others Are Saying:
Too Big for His Spurs?
Nike just released its Once a Year video with Wembanyama. When he was told that a journalist once described him as having “a healthy dose of arrogance,” Wembanyama called it necessary.
“Being too arrogant and too confident …it’s a problem, but it’s not a problem that’s gonna hold you back,” he said. “Being too humble is gonna hold you back.”
The Time is Now
As Sean Highkin noted in his 2025 recap, the Blazers must take advantage of this opportunity to play San Antonio without its best player.
The Blazers have lost a lot of games they shouldn’t have lost this season and been in games they had no business being in. I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest they could be one of the teams that makes it out of the play-in if they get the right matchups and the right health breaks. But it’s far from a guarantee. They have to start winning some of these games in front of them.
