The San Antonio Spurs are on a roll. The Spurs extended their winning streak to seven games after defeating the Sacramento Kings 124-109 on Friday. Now they’ll face one of the NBA’s hottest teams, the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be the first time these two teams meet since the Spurs defeated the Blazers in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
Portland looks a bit different than they did last season. Damian Lillard is back from an Achilles injury, averaging 20.1 points per game. Deni Advija
continues to be one of the league’s underrated stars. The Blazers lost a close one, 124-118, to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, but have so far been one of the best teams in the league.
Both teams will be in the second game of a back-to-back, so fatigue will be a consideration. The Spurs have shown they have a solid game plan for the Blazers, but with both teams on short rest, this one could go either way. A win over a red-hot Portland squad would be a signature win in the early stretch of the season.
San Antonio Spurs (7-2) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6-2)
November 7th, 2026 | 9 PM CT
Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: To be released at 1 p.m. CT
Trail Blazers Injuries: To be released at 1 p.m. CT
What to watch for:
Defending inside and out
The Blazers have the best offensive rating in the NBA (121.9). That’s thanks in large part to their ability to get into the paint and then convert on kick-out three-pointers. Advija is one of the best downhill players in the NBA. Toumani Camara is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league. As a whole, Portland makes the fifth most three-pointers per game at 15.4. The Spurs are faced with a tough challenge – stop the Blazers from getting easy shots at the rim and close out hard on shooters.
Crash the glass
It feels like the Blazers’ identity for the last few seasons has been a hard-nosed, physical squad. Donovan Clingan is one of the best rebounding bigs in the league, and Robert Williams III causes a lot of problems with his motor and athleticism. Then they have physical wings like Jrue Holiday and Advija who are problems on the glass. The Spurs have not been truly tested in the rebounding battle this season. But with a smaller, guard-filled lineup, San Antonio has to focus on winning the battle on the boards to win this game.
Three-point shooting
San Antonio hit 50% of their threes against the Kings on Friday. The Spurs need those shots to fall to open up their downhill attacking offense. The Blazers will likely put Clingan on Stephon Castle, daring him to make threes, just like they did in the playoffs last season. San Antonio can offset this by using him as a screener or putting the ball in his hands in the pick-and-roll to get Clingan moving around on the perimeter. Regardless of defensive scheme, the Spurs will have to hit three-point shots to come away with the win in Portland.
