The Spurs’ first home game of 2026 was a failure because of an inability to guard the 3-point line and contain the glass. It was the fifth game dropped at Frost Bank Center this season, making their home record the same as on the road (12-5).
Luke Kornet had a hot stretch for four minutes, but the Trail Blazers ran up a 13-point lead to close the quarter because his teammates were late to the party. The Spurs were out of sync as the ball and body movement lacked the normal juice, and the help defense
was stuck in quicksand. It was similar to how a chunk of the workforce can be sluggish when returning to the office after a long weekend or the holidays. An area they struggled with was containing second-chance scoring (13), yet Julian Champagnie, Stephon Castle and Kornet combined for seven baskets in the second quarter, closing the difference to four points going into halftime.
The Spurs’ finally got the lead a minute into the third as Kornet converted a 3-point play, and nine more lead changes followed to close the period with Portland ahead by seven. Unfortunately they subsequently couldn’t stop Deni Avdija, who nailed two 3-pointers in the fourth, plus turnovers and a cold stretch in the lane against Portland’s mobile size doomed them.
Observations
- The Spurs were in the mud and winning ugly was going to be their only way out as the offense couldn’t pierce as many openings as usual. They couldn’t pull off the comeback in part because they didn’t make enough 3-pointers, gave up 16 offensive rebounds and were exposed in drop coverage.
- Records can be misleading, and this game became much more even without two starters because the Trail Blazers are a long and athletic unit. Problems early came from Donovan Clingan, who is a massive man at 7’2, at 20 stone. He was too much to handle at short range. It didn’t help that the Spurs couldn’t contest his 3-pointers, and he subsequently reached a new career high (24 points) and also had six offensive rebounds
- Deni Avdija, who turned 25 on Saturday, is one of the best penetrators in the league at 6’8, and takes the most drives to the hoop nightly (20.5). He turned schemes into mincemeat, attacking the rim and setting up others. Part of his advantage is his size because he’s too strong for many defenders.
- There was a big opportunity for others to show out with absences of Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. Champagnie took advantage of it as the team’s leading first-half scorer (15 points on 75 percent shooting). He later made two extra shots and finished with 10 rebounds.
- Kornet’s cement shoes slow him down, closing out to the perimeter, but he is as steady as a backup big man can be filling in big minutes. He was perfect from the field in five attempts in the first half and had some other nice moments in bursts. He finished with 23 points on 83.3 percent shooting, with eight rebounds.
- De’Aaron Fox nailed two massive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that emotionally charged the team. He and Castle targeted Clingan in drop coverage as well. Fox had a chance to take a late lead, but missed on a makeable turnaround jumper.
