The San Antonio Spurs hope that playing on their home court and focusing on fundamentals will give them the energy they need to overcome a depleted roster when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers head to San Antonio for the first game of a road back-to-back set, coming off a 118-100 win at New Orleans on Monday. Anfernee Simons led Portland with 24 points, while Dalano Banton scored all 20 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping the Trail Blazers outscore the Pelicans 39-18 in the final period to overcome a three-point deficit.
Banton’s performance on Monday followed a 12-point fourth quarter in a loss at Phoenix on Saturday.
DeAndre Ayton contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds in Monday’s win, with Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara each adding 16 points as Portland snapped a two-game losing streak. Thursday’s game will be the third of a four-game trip, concluding in Minnesota on Friday.
The Spurs return home after a 127-100 loss at Houston on Wednesday, opening a road-home back-to-back set. San Antonio has lost two straight games.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 15 points in 25 minutes, while Julian Champagnie added 13. Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Sandro Mamukelashvili each scored 10 points. San Antonio trailed 63-38 at halftime and never mounted a serious comeback, shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and committing 19 turnovers.
San Antonio will be without coach Gregg Popovich for the fourth game, following a “serious health issue” he suffered on Saturday. There is no timetable for his return.
Guard Jeremy Sochan will also be out indefinitely after breaking his left thumb in Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He is set to have surgery this week and joins guards Devin Vassell (broken hand) and Tre Jones (right ankle sprain) on the Spurs’ injury list.
Thursday’s contest will kick off a five-game homestand and a stretch in which San Antonio plays nine of its next 11 games at Frost Bank Center through the end of November.
