Official Spurs at Trail Blazers Game Thread (9:30)

[Eddy from Austin]

9:30 PM
TV: FSN, TNT

San Antonio (18 - 5)


Portland (9 - 12)

Spurs-Trail Blazers Preview
By JEFF BARTL
STATS Writer

AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers are in a much less enviable position than the San Antonio Spurs, though they played to the Southwest Division leaders' level in a tough loss last month.

Both teams may look different this time around.
Portland could be without Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews for a second straight game Thursday night when it hosts San Antonio, which is coming off its first loss in December.
The Blazers (9-12) are in last place in the Northwest Division and had dropped six of their last eight games before a 92-74 victory over Toronto on Monday.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds for Portland, which earned the win despite setting an NBA record for most 3-point attempts without a make by going 0 for 20.

"I don't want to break records like that," Aldridge said.
J.J. Hickson added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

"It felt great to know we could be down a couple of players and still get the win," Hickson said. "We knew we were going to have to play extra hard because we were short-handed, but guys stepped up and we got the win."

Matthews, who missed the first game of his four-year career with a strained hip flexor, joked he and Batum (back pain) made as many 3-pointers as their teammates in uniform Monday, but became serious when discussing his injury and chances of playing Thursday.
"It's feeling better but not (close) to where it needs to be," Matthews said. "Slightly concerned but still optimistic. Taking it day by day right now."

Batum seems closer to returning, though he'll likely be a game-time decision.
"It's not 100 percent, but it's better," Batum said. "I'm hopeful for Thursday."
Batum scored a game-high 33 points and Aldridge added 29 against the Spurs on Nov. 10, but Gary Neal's 27 points and Tim Duncan's 22 helped San Antonio end a seven-game losing streak in Portland with a 112-109 win.

Tony Parker sat out that contest with the flu, but he won't miss this matchup as he looks to help the Spurs (18-5) bounce back from a 99-96 loss at the buzzer in Utah on Wednesday that ended a five-game winning streak.

Parker and Duncan, who had a season-high 21 rebounds, finished with 22 points apiece, but Mo Williams hit a 3-pointer as time expired to deal San Antonio its first loss of the month.

"It was disappointing down the stretch," said Duncan, who also had six blocks. "Individually I made too many mistakes. I missed a jumper on the baseline I thought was down. ... Just too many mistakes down the stretch that we couldn't recover from."

The Spurs, who conclude a four-game road trip Thursday, hit only 42.5 percent from the field after shooting 52.5 percent and winning by an average of 17.8 points over their previous four games.

San Antonio is 4-1 on the second end of back-to-back games this season, with the only loss coming when Popovich infamously rested four starters in Miami on Nov. 29.

[spurscrazed]

Spurs are going to win tonight!

Blazers will not be able to keep up with this ANGRY Spurs team after that heartbreaking loss in Utah last night.

Spurs TEAM HUSTLE Defense and GANG Rebounding = Spurs Win~

Spurs 109
Blazer 91

Go Spurs Go!

[MichaelWi101]

For some reason I always dread it when the Spurs play in Portland...going back to the blind pass from Rocket Rod that cost the Spurs in the playoffs....

[td4mvp2k]

Just get the W and not have what was the last game.

[td4mvp2k]

Pop may play his starters less mins in this game.

[Eddy from Austin]

Spurs 112
Blazers 101

[grizzly_bexar]

I want to hear he sent all the starters home.

[Mombear]

Originally Posted by grizzly_bexar

I want to hear he sent all the starters home.

low scoring game:

Spurs 89
Portland 86

[MichaelWi101]

Bet Pop could get away with it for this game - there will be tv's all over America turning off after the knicks and lakers game....

[td4mvp2k]

Spurs look tired.

[Spurd_On]

Originally Posted by td4mvp2k

Spurs look tired.

At some point, extending the energy to overcompensate for not having your 2 small forwards is likely to catch up to a team. It looks like the time is now.

[SleepyAdamII]

permalink
Quote:
Originally Posted by td4mvp2k
Spurs look tired.
At some point, extending the energy to overcompensate for not having your 2 small forwards is likely to catch up to a team. It looks like the time is now.

I feel the same way , no excuses but having them out makes 3 other guys play out of position. Also it gives the spurs something to address for the remainder of the season

[spurscrazed]

I thought the starters were fatigued from playing in Houston OT. Where the Bench was not the usual Bench. So the starters won that OT.

Then at the Utah game the starters tried so hard but the bench again failed to lift them as they did in previous games.

Starters were so exhausted so they ran out of juice at the end of the Utah game so we lost it by hair to the Jazz.

I was hoping Pop would rest his starters more in the Utah game to keep them fresh for the Portland game but Pop did not.... He played the starters more.... hoping we could possibly win that Utah game and we almost did.....

Then on the Portland game we saw Pop doing that same thing sticking with some big minutes for starters...... I can't figure out if Pop was trying to (service the fans because of an TNT game on a B2B thinking that might help the franchise from being fined... or was it that Pop was trusting that his starters would make it happen!!!

BOTTOM LINE I was very disappointed by the facet that Pop did not give the bench more time in both B2B games to give some rest for starters. I mean at some point Pop would have to figure which one game to throw away and which owe to pick to win..... Next B2B on Monday/Tue I am hoping Pop would pick his poison and put his rotation according to that ahead of time..... Let's file the last B2B Utah/Portland under EXPERIMENT that did not pan for Pop!!!

A fresh Spurs should come out Saturday REFRESHED at home and start a new Winning streak!!!

Go Spurs Go

[JuanCaca]

dont worry, all was pop trying to comeback to under radar form... now the spotlight is Again on the thunder, Lakers heat...