Spurs-Trail Blazers Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 13 2012 2:52AM

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a much less enviable position than the San Antonio Spurs, though they played to the Southwest Division leaders' level in a tough loss last month.

Both teams may look different this time around.

Portland could be without Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews for a second straight game Thursday night when it hosts San Antonio, which is coming off its first loss in December.

The Blazers (9-12) are in last place in the Northwest Division and had dropped six of their last eight games before a 92-74 victory over Toronto on Monday.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds for Portland, which earned the win despite setting an NBA record for most 3-point attempts without a make by going 0 for 20.

"I don't want to break records like that," Aldridge said.

J.J. Hickson added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

"It felt great to know we could be down a couple of players and still get the win," Hickson said. "We knew we were going to have to play extra hard because we were short-handed, but guys stepped up and we got the win."

Matthews, who missed the first game of his four-year career with a strained hip flexor, joked he and Batum (back pain) made as many 3-pointers as their teammates in uniform Monday, but became serious when discussing his injury and chances of playing Thursday.

"It's feeling better but not (close) to where it needs to be," Matthews said. "Slightly concerned but still optimistic. Taking it day by day right now."

Batum seems closer to returning, though he'll likely be a game-time decision.

"It's not 100 percent, but it's better," Batum said. "I'm hopeful for Thursday."

Batum scored a game-high 33 points and Aldridge added 29 against the Spurs on Nov. 10, but Gary Neal's 27 points and Tim Duncan's 22 helped San Antonio end a seven-game losing streak in Portland with a 112-109 win.

Tony Parker sat out that contest with the flu, but he won't miss this matchup as he looks to help the Spurs (18-5) bounce back from a 99-96 loss at the buzzer in Utah on Wednesday that ended a five-game winning streak.

Parker and Duncan, who had a season-high 21 rebounds, finished with 22 points apiece, but Mo Williams hit a 3-pointer as time expired to deal San Antonio its first loss of the month.

"It was disappointing down the stretch," said Duncan, who also had six blocks. "Individually I made too many mistakes. I missed a jumper on the baseline I thought was down. ... Just too many mistakes down the stretch that we couldn't recover from."

The Spurs, who conclude a four-game road trip Thursday, hit only 42.5 percent from the field after shooting 52.5 percent and winning by an average of 17.8 points over their previous four games.

San Antonio is 4-1 on the second end of back-to-back games this season, with the only loss coming when Popovich infamously rested four starters in Miami on Nov. 29.

Lillard scores 29, Blazers defeat Spurs 98-90

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Dec 14 2012 2:39AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Trail Blazers rookie Damian Lillard says he saw Portland's victory over San Antonio coming, and not just during the course of the game.

"I think this whole week we've been locked in as a team. It had that feel," Lillard said. "Guys were excited to play."

Lillard scored a career-high 29 points in Portland's 98-90 win over the Spurs on Thursday night. It was the second consecutive loss for San Antonio, which has dropped just six games this season.

Lillard, the sixth pick in last June's NBA draft, added seven rebounds and six assists. He has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season.

"I think I've had a few better games even though this is the most points I've scored," he said. "I think this was the best I've done in a game we really needed."

And that needed win came in a nationally televised game against the Spurs, who are second only to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.

San Antonio trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half but Manu Ginobili's layup cut the deficit to 89-85. J.J. Hickson answered for the Blazers with a running hook that made it 91-85 with 2:36 left.

Danny Green hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spurs closer again, but Portland clung to the lead and Nicolas Batum - who has been bothered by a sore back - made a 3 that gave Portland a 96-90 advantage with 1:08 left. Batum hit two free throws with 8 seconds to go for the final margin.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and Hickson finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who won their second straight and improved to 10-12.

Tony Parker had 21 points for the Spurs, who were coming off a 99-96 loss at Utah on Wednesday night that snapped a five-game winning streak.

"I don't know if it was fatigue," said Tim Duncan, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds. "We just couldn't really ever find our rhythm."

The Blazers were coming off a 92-74 victory over Toronto on Monday during which Portland set an NBA record by going 0 for 20 from 3-point range.

The Blazers were without starter Wesley Matthews for the second straight game. Matthews strained his left hip in the fourth quarter of a loss last Saturday to the Kings. The injury put him on the bench in street clothes for the first time in his four-year NBA career. He had played in 250 straight games, second-most among active players behind Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.

Batum also missed the victory over the Raptors, but he started on Thursday night. He said afterward he played in pain the whole game.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Batum's 3-pointer decided it.

"We hung in there but Nicolas killed us with that 3 at the very end," Popovich said. "It could have been anybody's game but for that 3."

Luke Babbitt made a 3-pointer to put Portland in front 32-25 early on. But former Trail Blazer Patty Mills hit a 23-foot jumper to tie it 32-all, and Green added a fast-break layup to give San Antonio the lead. It didn't last long, however, and Portland reclaimed the lead with Will Barton's dunk and another 3 by Babbitt.

Lillard made a long jumper to end the first half with the Blazers up 49-45.

His pull-up jumper made it 61-57 midway through a tight third quarter. Already-hurting Portland got a scare a short time later when Aldridge fell hard to the court and took a few moments to get up.

Lillard and Babbitt each hit long jumpers and Sasha Pavlovic added a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 72-61. Lillard had 12 points in the third quarter alone.

"I think he's a wonderful player," Popovich said. "His skills are obvious, but I like his demeanor as much as I like his skills. He really plays within himself, he's not afraid of contact and he really understands how to take advantage of situations."

San Antonio is 4-2 on the back end of back-to-back games. The other loss came against the Miami Heat on Nov. 29, notable because Popovich did not play starters Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Green. The Spurs were subsequently fined by the NBA.

NOTES: The Blazers held a moment of silence before the game for the victims of the shooting Tuesday night at Clackamas Town Center in suburban Portland. Two people were killed and another was wounded by a masked gunman who fatally shot himself. ... The Spurs beat the Blazers 112-109 on Nov. 10 to snap a seven-game losing streak at the Rose Garden. San Antonio rallied for the win after trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter. ... San Antonio scored fewer than 90 points for the fifth time this season.

Notebook: Blazers 98, Spurs 90

Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:40 AM - Updated Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:40 AM

THE FACTS: Rookie Damian Lillard outdueled All-Star Tony Parker at the point guard position and Portland held off a late San Antonio surge to win 98-90 Thursday night at the Rose Garden. Lillard collected season highs in points (29) and rebounds (seven) and had six assists as the Trail Blazers (10-12) handed the Spurs (18-6) their second loss in as many nights. Parker led San Antonio with 21 points and dished out five assists.

QUOTABLE: "Beating a team like San Antonio → the best team in the West, maybe the best team in the league → it was probably our best win this season because we played an entire game. We didn't have to come back. We were steady and played well throughout."
-- Portland coach Terry Stotts

THE STAT: The Spurs committed 19 turnovers → two short of their season high → resulting in 17 Portland points.

TURNING POINT: San Antonio was within 93-90 when Nicolas Batum buried a 3-pointer to make it 96-90 with 1:08 left. The Spurs missed their final four shots as the Blazers put the win on ice.

QUOTABLE II: "You can call it fatigue or whatever it may be ... we just couldn't find any rhythm. Give credit to [the Blazers]. They made shots when they needed to and kept us at bay."
-- San Antonio's Tim Duncan. The Spurs were playing the second of back-to-back games and their fifth game in seven days.

HOT: Lillard found the hot hand midway through the game, scoring 22 of his points on 8-for-15 shooting in the second and third quarters.

NOT: San Antonio's Gary Neal → who had busted up Portland with 27 points and seven rebounds in a 112-109 win at the Rose Garden on Nov. 10 → was 2-for-10 from the field and scored six points Thursday night.

GOOD MOVE: Batum drilled a three, then raced down to block a Parker driving layup at the other end in the game's closing moments.

BAD MOVE: With Portland clinging to a 61-59 lead midway through the third quarter, Blazer rookie Meyers Leonard went up for an uncontested dunk → and clanged it off the rim and out of bounds.

QUOTABLE III: "I knew it was going to be a tough cover for me. I wanted to attack the game offensively, and defensively try to make it as tough as possible for him to get his shot off and make those floaters."
-- Portland's Damian Lillard

NOTABLE: Portland's string of 24 straight missed 3-point attempts ended late in the first quarter when Batum hit one from beyond the arc. The Blazers set an NBA record for futility by going 0-for-20 on 3s in a 92-74 win over Toronto on Monday. They were only 7-for-27 (.259) from 3-point range on Thursday.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Saturday vs. Boston, Monday at Oklahoma City, Tuesday at Denver. For the Trail Blazers, Sunday vs. New Orleans, Thursday vs. Denver, Saturday vs. Phoenix.

• Spurs: Jackson, Leonard
• Trail Blazers: Matthews, Williams

• Spurs: Diaw
• Trail Blazers: Batum

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #30 John Goble, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 19118
• Duration: 2:22