The Portland Trail Blazers travel to The Alamo City for a late-season showdown with the San Antonio Spurs tonight.
For the third time this season, the Blazers will face a Wembanyama-less Spurs squad as the big man sits with a rib injury. This time, Stephon Castle will also be out. The Blazers defeated the Spurs in their last matchup, 115-110.
With just three games left to play in the regular season, Portland is trying to overtake the Los Angeles Clippers for the Western Conference’s 8th seed. Depending
on how the dominoes fall, this game could preview a future playoff series.
What You Need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (40-39) at San Antonio Spurs Wed. April 8 – 6:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to stream: 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: Jerami Grant, Damian Lillard (Out); Shaedon Sharpe, Vit Krejci (Doubtful).
Spurs injuries: Stephon Castle, David Jones Garcia, Emanuel Miller, Victor Wembanyama (Out).
Kit: The Blazers will take the floor in their black Icon Edition jerseys. San Antonio will wear its gray Statement Edition unis.
Stat Leaders:
Trail Blazers: Points, Avdija (24 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (11.6). Assists, Avdija (6.7). Steals, Thybulle (2). Blocks, Clingan (1.7).
Spurs: Points, Wembanyama (24.8 per game). Rebounds, Wembanyama (11.5). Assists, Castle (7.4). Steals, Fox (1.2). Blocks, Wembanyama (3.1).
Tale of the Tape
Trail Blazers: Offensive rating: 113.1 (21st place) Defensive rating: 113.7 (13th place)
Spurs: Offensive rating: 118.6 (4th place) Defensive rating: 110.2 (3rd place)
Storylines
Sharpe on the Mend:
Both Shaedon Sharpe and Vit Krejci have been upgraded to doubtful for tonight’s game. Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports on how Sharpe’s scoring could provide a welcome jolt to a team that struggles to consistently put the ball in the basket.
His return would be a boon to the Blazers’ playoff chances. He won the starting shooting guard job in training camp and has been a reliable scorer all season, averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game, which ranks second on the team. He’s also averaging 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 48 games, which includes 42 starts.
Harper’s Time to Shine?
Jacob Douglas at Pounding the Rock expects Dylan Harper to start in place of the injured Stephon Castle.
Harper averaged 17 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He’s been playing some excellent basketball lately, shooting the ball effectively, scoring around the rim, and playing tough defense on the perimeter. He’ll have his work cut out for him against tough perimeter defenders like Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday, but a big game in the starting five could be exactly what Harper needs to hit the ground running into the playoffs.
What will you be looking for tonight?
