Portland Trail Blazers look to bounce back against San Antonio Spurs
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers host the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs. The Trail Blazers lost another late-game lead on Sunday against the Grizzlies. They will attempt to get back in the coveted win column tonight against a slipping Spurs team. The Spurs lost their third straight game Monday against the Jazz in Utah and are 5-5 over their last 10 games. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and locally on KGW. The radio call can be heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
As the regular season starts to wind down, the Trail Blazers control their own destiny. Their play in the early part of the season, paired with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s early struggles without Kevin Durant, allowed the them to create a nice cushion at the top of the Northwest Division. Recently, the Thunder have been playing well and the Trail Blazers have failed to keep pace. The once large division lead is now down to 5 1/2 games, with 27 games to play. The Trail Blazers must find a way to reverse their recent streak of poor play and it starts tonight against the Spurs.
Over the last 10 games, the Trail Blazers are 4-6. Their next two games will be at home and on display for a national audience as ESPN will show tonight’s game as well as Friday’s matchup against the Thunder. The Spurs present an opportunity for the Trail Blazers to make things right before facing their divisional rival on Friday. The loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday definitely hurt but it did provide some positives.
New Trail Blazer Arron Afflalo played a solid 24 minutes and put in eight points and four rebounds. Afflalo provided a positive alternative while Matthews was struggling (0-7 from the floor). Batum’s performance was also another positive sight. He had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He finally looked like he wasn’t thinking and just playing, which is exactly what the coaching staff has been preaching. If Afflalo and Batum can continue to produce consistently, the Trail Blazers will find winning may come easier.
The Spurs may not look like they are ready to repeat as NBA Champions but don’t let their record fool you. Head coach Gregg Popovich knows exactly what he’s doing. He always plays for the postseason by resting his stars and making sure his team is in a position to compete in April. They have struggled to play well on the road this season as they are 14-15 in games away from home. Currently in what is referred to as their annual “rodeo road trip” while the AT&T Center is occupied with the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the Spurs are 2-4 with three more games to play. If you include the All-Star break, that will be a total of 28 days in between home games. That’s tough.
This will be the fourth and final regular season meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning two of the previous three. So what did we learn from the first three that we can apply to this game? First, the Trail Blazers need to get Lillard involved. In his career, Lillard has averaged 27.3 points against the Spurs, which is his best against any opponent. Lillard scored a career-high 43 points in a triple overtime win against the Spurs on December 19. He had a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds) in the first meeting of the year. His recent slump has mirrored that of the Trail Blazers’ recent slide. Things need to turn around and playing his “favorite” opponent might just be the remedy.
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Secondly, the Trail Blazers must control the Spurs on the fast break. In the last meeting, which resulted in the only Trail Blazers loss this season, the Spurs dominated the fast break outscoring the Trail Blazers 17 to 6 in that category. With the Spurs completely healthy, they have multiple players that like to get out and run. Leonard, Green, and Patty Mills will all fill the lanes and try to get an easy basket. Duncan cannot be underestimated as an outlet passer, so they must watch that as well.
Finally, the Trail Blazers must have help if Aldridge isn’t able to go tonight. His status has been updated to probable which bodes well for the Trail Blazers chances to win. Aldridge has played well against the Spurs this season averaging 26.3 points and 12.7 rebounds. If he is unexpectedly sidelined, Meyers Leonard will most likely get the start. Leonard has definitely proved a lift at times this season with his reformed offensive game, yet he still has many flaws. One would be his tendency to foul and you better believe Popovich will go right at him if he is forced to cover for Aldridge.
This contest should be competitive and I hope we have the privilege to see another great game like their triple overtime contest. Trail Blazers fans would rather see a decisive win but I believe it will be close. The best chance for the Trail Blazers to secure a victory is if Aldridge plays and they can control the pace of the game.