Blazers Falter Against Spurs

Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton notched double-doubles, but the Portland Trail Blazers falter against the Spurs in San Antonio, 116-100. Portland falls to 13-32 while San Antonio notches their eighth win of the season at 8-36.

Jeremy Sochan led the Spurs, while Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson both showed out. All three notched double-doubles themselves. The Spurs win the season series 2-1 against their appointed rivals of the week.

Portland played without Shaedon Sharpe, still out with a thigh strain, and placed Malcolm Brogdon on the injury report with a sore knee. San Antonio played at near-full strength.

Star Efforts: Doubles on Doubles

Anfernee Simons finished the game with 40 points and 10 assists on 14-27 shooting and 7-15 from three point land. Simons joins a Trail Blazer club that includes Damian Lillard, Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, CJ McCollum and Geoff Petrie. It was just his fourth career double-double, and his second in the season. The only blemish on his game came in the form of five turnovers.

Deandre Ayton assisted Simons’ efforts with his own double-double, a 20 point, 12 rebound performance on 10-17 from the floor. Ayton carved out a spot in the paint, affording the Blazers some stability on the offense.

The Spurs received double-double contributions all up and down the roster sheet, but were led by Jeremy Sochan. Sochan finished the game with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and a pair each of assists and steals on 12-20 from the floor. It was his first double-double of the season, third for his career.

Victor Wembanyama continues a star-studded month of performances this January, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He also finished with seven turnovers, but they did not take away from his 20^th double-double performance of the season.

Off the bench, Keldon Johnson terrorized the Blazers with 21 points and 16 boards on 9-15 from the floor. He menaced the offensive glass for eight boards and iced the game late grabbing long rebounds. This was his eighth double-double of the season.

How It Happened: Blazers Falter Against Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers came into the game on high spirits after digging out an overtime win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. The San Antonio Spurs licked their wounds after a home thumping against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.

In a battle of the basement dwellers, this would be the final round to claim some sort of pride in the midst of losing seasons.

First Half

The first quarter started with the Blazers trying to learn the new rules against a player Victor Wembanyama. Despite playing the early game close, Wembanyama dominated with two early blocks and a fast-break alley-oop, plus the foul. The Spurs feasted off five Blazer turnovers in the quarter.

The Blazers responded by waiting for Greg Popovich to substitute out The Human Cheat Code and then promptly going hot from three point range. Anfernee Simons would find teammates and score at-will for 15 points and three assists.

Portland led early, 33-26 but Grant left the game early due to a back spasm and Henderson would followed suit in the second quarter with a quad contusion.

Now missing half the regular rotation, the Spurs quickly pounced on their guests’ misfortune. Wembanyama enforced his will and the Spurs went on a 13-5 run to claim the lead. Wembanyama would finish with 14 points in the quarter and 18 in the half.

The Blazers responded by feeding Deandre Ayton for 10 points in the quarter while Simons added another seven to finish with 22 for the half. However, it could not overcome a Spurs squad gobbling up literally anything and everything that fell off the rim. The Spurs doubled the Blazers’ rebounds in the quarter, 18-9, and finished the half up, 62-57.

Second Half

In the third quarter, Portland went ice cold as their plays went out the window. They shot 34.8% in the quarter and 22.2% from three. Simons would not add another basket to his total until the last minute of the period.

On the other side, Jeremy Sochan went off for 13 points, feasting on drives, three point buckets and free throws. He was a perfect 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line. While not an explosive quarter, the 26-21 mark did just enough to build separation and put the game frustratingly out of reach.

For the final frame of the evening, Anfernee Simons found his groove again, pouring in 16 points on 6-9 shooting. Unfortunately, he looked like the Blazer out there with appetite. On the Spurs’ side, it was all hunger for a win. They could smell blood and were determined not to let another double-digit lead fall by the wayside.

Sochan continued his torrid shotmaking with seven points in the quarter, Wembanyama added five and Keldon Johnson sucked the life from the Blazers with nine points and five rebounds in the quarter. A reverse layup from Keldon Johnson cutting behind Ayton would seal the victory. Chauncey Billups waved the white flag and pulled the starters.

From there, the Spurs put the Blazers away, 116-100.

The Stats Are a Battlefield

Portland shot poorly against San Antonio. They finished 38-90 (42.2%) from the floor and a dreadful 10-37 (27%) from the three point line. The Spurs, however, did not shoot much better. They finished 42-92 (45.7%) from the floor and 10-34 from three. Portland also stayed shaky from the charity stripe, shooting 14-19 (73.7%) while San Antonio feasted, 22-26 (84.6%)

San Antonio notched more assists, 30-23; steals 12-11; blocks, 5-3; and fast break points, 26-14. Portland did manage to take care of the ball relatively well, finishing with only 15 turnovers to San Antonio’s 18. They also edged their hosts in points off turnovers, 17-14.

The key differences came by a young Blazers squad that could not stop fouling, committing 20 personal fouls to only 11 for the Spurs. That’s not only where the Spurs would feast however. San Antonio dominated Portland in the paint, 60-44, and outrebounded the Blazers, 59-37, with a 17-8 deficit on the offensive glass.

Where to Next

The Blazers return home for a three game stand after finishing their road trip 1-3. They will face the Chicago Bulls on Sunday before facing off Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. They finish the homestand by welcoming back Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks.