The Portland Trail Blazers are back home tonight for the first of a a three-game stand after a successful four-game road trip. Their opponents are Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The game starts at 7:00 PM Pacific. The Blazers will be on short rest after coming up short 124-118 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, but so will the Spurs. San Antonio will be traveling from California’s capitol after seeing off the Sacramento Kings in their own Friday night contest, 124-109. After
losing their first two games of the season, the Spurs have since rattled off seven wins in a row.
What You Need To Know
Portland Trail Blazers (6-2) vs San Antonio Spurs (7-2) – Sat. Nov. 7 – 7:00 pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options for 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
Trail Blazers Injuries: Vit Krejci, Ja Morant, Shaedon Sharpe (out)
Spurs Injuries: Tobias Harris, Jayden Quaintance (out)
What To Watch For
Victor Wembanyama: After scoring 54 points and grabbing 24 rebounds on Wednesday, the Spurs’ superstar “only” had 30 points and 14 boards against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. When facing Wembanyama, you have to keep things in perspective. You can beat the Spurs if Wembanyama goes off, but you have to make the moments count when he’s off the court. Of course keeping his stat line at reasonable numbers is better if you can manage it. Coach Nori will have some decisions to make. Do you throw everything at him to try to contain him, or do you put the most effort into taking advantage when he’s not on the court? Do you double-team, triple-team, and use all your fouls on Wembanyama? Of do you play him straight-up and see how things play out?
Bounce-back: After the Blazers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on October 29, they rattled off three wins against Utah, Denver, and Phoenix. How will the Blazers respond after losing to the Lakers on Friday? They most likely will be the underdog for the next three games, so the early season great vibes could suddenly feel quite a bit differently if they find themselves on a four-game losing streak come next week. On the other hand, a win against the Spurs on Saturday would be another piece of evidence that this team can’t be taken for granted by anybody, and a win could be a springboard for more good things.
Three is greater than two: The Blazers are second in the NBA in three-point makes at 15.9 per game. The Spurs are 23rd at 11.9 per game. That’s a 12 point differential, and that could determine the contest. There’s a big question though – can they hit them at a high enough rate to make the math work? If the deep shots don’t fall, it’s a pretty big problem for Portland. The Spurs protect the paint extremely well as you might expect with Wembanyama on the roster, and San Antonio leads the NBA with seven blocks per game. If those deep shots do fall early though, the Blazers have a chance to dictate the terms of the game.
What Others Are Saying
The Spurs have changed their starting lineup, and Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required) isn’t convinced yet by the move.
The choice to move 20-year-old Dylan Harper from super sixth man to starter and pair him with 22-year-old Stephon Castle and 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox was driven by a need to relieve pressure in their crowded backcourt. And Harper’s choice to say the quiet part out loud in his offseason GQ interview, of course, put that sensitive dynamic front and center just in time for the lineup change to become official.
Yet while it may ultimately work, not only on the court but as a workaround of sorts to the prospect of potentially trading Fox, that doesn’t mean there isn’t risk involved. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as they say.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright’s profile of Devin Vassell shows a player who is consistent on the court and a mentor off of it.
Vassell seemed likely to be relegated to a role off the bench this season, but it was never under serious consideration, even during the team’s free agency discussions with Harris. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson considers Vassell to be the “most consistent person on the roster.” It’s a designation earned from the plethora of roles mastered over the course of a career in San Antonio that heads into Year 7. And his most important role happens off the court.
Victor Wembanyama’s 52 point, 24 rebound effort against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday was one to remember writes Lee Dresie of Pounding the Rock.
How about this; Wemby’s halftime numbers were better than anyone else’s entire game. For the Mavs, Kyrie Irving had 29 points for the game with 7 boards and 5 assists, but shot 9 for 27 from the floor. Naji Marshall had 22 points with 5 boards, 3 assists and 1 block. Neither measured up to Victor’s first half. The Spurs’ second leading scorer, Dylan Harper had 21 points (8 less than Victor’s first half), 5 boards (10 less than Victor had at halftime) and zero assists (although no one on the Spurs other than Victor could make a shot – as we will discuss later).
