The Portland Trail Blazers snatched their second win in two days, holding off the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 in crunch time on Saturday night.
Even with superstar Victor Wembanyama out with a knee injury, these Spurs are no slouches — evidenced by how they handled the Blazers without Wembanyama back in November. Portland, still shorthanded with its own injuries, avenged that loss on Saturday with a big-time team effort.
The Blazers led by as many as 15 early in the second quarter, but the Spurs came
back to take their first lead early in the third quarter. Then Portland built up another 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, before hitting enough clutch buckets late to hold off a dangerous Spurs comeback attempt.
Blazers forward Deni Avdija was his usual stellar self, posting a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Portland center Donovan Clingan was a monster (more on that below), and several role players hit timely 3-pointers to help deliver the win.
Big man Luke Kornet led the way for the Spurs with 23 points and eight rebounds. Forward Julian Champagnie scored 20 and guard De’Aaron Fox added 16 points and nine assists.
Player of Note
Clingan took advantage of Wembanyama’s absence and produced a career night in San Antonio. The 7-foot-2 big man set the tone for a brilliant Blazers start, burying three straight 3-pointers to help him score Portland’s first 11 points. He reached his career-high of 23 points at the 7:35 mark of the third quarter, ultimately finishing with 24 points on 9-12 shooting from the field (3-5 from deep), 12 rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes.
Even though his second half wasn’t quite as loud as the first, Clingan still made huge plays on the offensive glass late in the game. Whether it was 3-point shooting, strong paint scoring, rebounding or the typical rim protection, Clingan punished the Spurs all night.
Stat of the Night
The Blazers shot 19-45 (42.2%) from 3-point land against the Spurs, helping them make nine more triples. In a five-point game where most of the other statistical categories were almost identical (save for free throws, where Portland missed 11), that 3-point shooting made all the difference. Toumani Camara made a team-high five 3s (on nine attempts), but seven total Blazers struck from long distance against San Antonio. Portland made six of those 3s in the fourth quarter. They all felt huge at that point in the game.
What We Noticed
Clingan’s big first half and all-around performance will be a hard one to forget. It’s the latest great showing in a string of those from the second-year big man. But Avdija also produced an All-Star moment for his campaign at the end. He hit two clutch 3s down the stretch (one off an offensive rebound/kickout from Clingan). The second triple came off a dribble move in isolation and effectively served as the dagger, putting Portland up 114-110 with less than a minute left.
Up Next
The Blazers return to the friendly confines of the Moda Center to take on the Utah Jazz on Monday at 7 p.m. Pacific. The matchup tips off a four-game stretch at home.
