The San Antonio Spurs are hoping that playing at home and focusing on the basics will help them find some energy and overcome a short-handed roster when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers are coming off a 118-100 win over New Orleans on Monday and are starting a back-to-back road trip in San Antonio.
Anfernee Simons led Portland with 24 points, and Dalano Banton scored all 20 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping the Blazers outscore New Orleans 39-18 in the final period to turn a three-point deficit into a win.
“I felt like we needed a little shot in the arm, offensively, when I went with Banton at the start of the fourth quarter,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “And, obviously, 20 points in one quarter is more than a shot in the arm. I was just proud that we were able to stay focused.”
Banton’s strong performance on Monday came after he scored 12 points in the fourth quarter during a loss at Phoenix on Saturday.
“Everything looks different every night with the talent that we have, so you just got to stay ready,” Banton said. “You never know when (Billups) is going to put you in there. It’s not just for me — it’s for anyone.”
DeAndre Ayton had 19 points and 13 rebounds in Monday’s win, while Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara each scored 16 points as Portland ended a two-game losing streak. Thursday’s game will be the third of a four-game road trip, which will wrap up in Minnesota on Friday.
The Spurs are coming off a 127-100 loss to Houston on Wednesday, which was the first game of a back-to-back set. San Antonio has now lost two straight games.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 15 points in 25 minutes, while Julian Champagnie scored 13 and Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Sandro Mamukelashvili each added 10 points.
San Antonio trailed 63-38 at halftime and was never able to make a serious comeback. The Spurs shot 44.6 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
“We were not as physical as we needed to be and not as good with our details and fundamentals,” Spurs interim coach Wyatt Johnson said. “I think those things, at times, have led to some of our turnover problems — whether it’s sloppy passes, not strong enough catches, or not getting to the ball in the right spot.”
San Antonio will be without head coach Gregg Popovich for the fourth game in a row after the league’s all-time winningest coach suffered a “serious health issue” on Saturday. There is no timeline for Popovich’s return.
Guard Jeremy Sochan will also be out indefinitely after breaking his left thumb in Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Sochan is scheduled for surgery this week. He joins guards Devin Vassell (who has a broken hand) and Tre Jones (who has a right ankle sprain) on the injury list.
Thursday’s game will be the first of a five-game homestand for the Spurs, who will play nine of their next 11 games at home through the end of November at the Frost Bank Center.
