By Joel Bartilotta, RotoWire

LAS VEGAS — The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 95-89, in the Las Vegas Summer League at Cox Pavilion on Tuesday.

The final scoreline makes this game look much closer than it actually was, as Portland led for all but a few minutes. In fact, the Trail Blazers were ahead by as much as 22 points during the second half and the six-point final margin was actually the closest the game was since the opening minutes of the third quarter. The first and third quarters gave Portland separation, outscoring San Antonio, 52-38. Defense was key for Portland, as the team recorded 14 steals while winning the turnover differential, 22-17. Three-point shooting was also critical, with the Trail Blazers connecting on 11-of-21 attempts from long range.

The Spurs (1-2) had no player score more than 12 points, as Jaron Blossomgame led the team with 12 points and four rebounds. Lonnie Walker IV finished with 12 points of his own and added two boards. Olivier Hanlan accrued 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. Trey McKinney-Jones posted a bench-high 11 points, to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Trail Blazers’ (3-0) highest scorer came off the bench, as Gary Trent Jr. paced the team with 20 points and two steals. Wade Baldwin IV led the starters with 16 points, two rebounds, nine assists and five steals. Jake Layman amassed 15 points and eight boards, while Caleb Swanigan totaled 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Both teams will await playoff seedings to see who they matchup with next in the coming few days.