Trail Blazers Game Notes: San Antonio Spurs (28-44) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (27-44)

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (27-44) VS SAN ANTONIO SPURS (28-44)

Wednesday, March 23 • 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) • Moda Center

Portland, Oregon

ALL TIME: Spurs lead, 89-88

PORTLAND HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 55-33

SAN ANTONIO HOME: Spurs lead, 56-33

LAST PORTLAND WIN: 124-102, 5/8/21 (SAS)

LAST SAN ANTONIO WIN: 114-83, 12/2/21 (Por.)

CURRENT WIN STREAK: One (SAS)

• Wednesday's meeting is the second of four meetings between San Antonio and Portland this season and the final matchup at Moda Center. The Spurs hold a 1-0 lead in the season series and host the Trail Blazers for two games in Texas at the start of April.

• LAST MEETING: Portland fell to San Antonio 114-83 in December with 14 Trail Blazers seeing action in the game. Four starters scored in double-figures and Ben McLemore added 11 off the bench. Doug McDermott led the Spurs starting unit with 16 points.

• The Trail Blazers average 37 three-point attempts per game, ninth-most in the NBA, while the Spurs hold opponents to 33.0 attempts per game, sixth-fewest in the league. Portland shoots 34.9% from deep while Spurs opponents shoot 35.9%.

• Both teams rank in the top half of the league in percentage of points coming via the fast break, Portland ranks 12th with 11.6% while San Antonio ranks seventh with 12.8.

• The Spurs rank fifth in the NBA with a 64.4 assist percentage while the Trail Blazers assist percentage sits at 58.7%.

• Both teams rank in the top half of the league in PACE, Portland at 14th with 98.87 and San Antonio at fourth with 100.75.

• Josh Hart dropped a double-double on Dec. 12 at San Antonio as a member of the Pelicans, scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, he has averaged 7.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his last five games against the Spurs.

• Ben McLemore is averaging 13.6 points, 2.8 boards and 2.0 assists in his last five games against San Antonio.

• In his last five games vs. San Antonio, Justise Winslow is averaging 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He faced off against the Spurs on Dec. 20 as a member of the Clippers and scored five points with one rebound and one assist in 11 minutes of action.

• In his last five games against Portland, Dejounte Murray is averaging 11.2 points, 8.8 assists and 7.0 rebounds.

• Keldon Johnson has averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in four career games against the Trail Blazers.

CONNECTION: Drew Eubanks spent the first three and a half seasons of his career with the Spurs prior to being traded at the trade deadline and subsequently waived before signing with the Trail Blazers on Feb. 22. The Troutdale-native averaged 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 148 games for the Spurs. Since joining Portland, he is averaging 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

BRAND ON POINT: Brandon Williams scored a team-high 23 points at Detroit on March 21, making him the only rookie NOT selected in the first round of the draft to record five games of 20-plus points this season. Since re-joining the team in February, Williams is averaging 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.10 steals in 28.8 minutes.

CHARITY STRIPE: Portland went 37-of-49 from the free throw line on March 21 at Detroit, marking season-highs for both makes and attempts in a single game. The 90 total free throws attempted by both teams in the game marks a single-game high in the league this season, surpassing Portland-Minnesota on March 7 (82).

BEN THERE, DONE THAT: Ben McLemore scored 21 points off the bench at Detroit on March 21, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 5-of-12 from three. He added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 30 minutes of action. It marked the sixth time this season Ben has made five-plus three-pointers off the bench, ninth-most in the NBA. Only Gary Trent Jr. (7, 2019-20), has more in a single-season in franchise history.

DUNN-D : Kris Dunn scored 11 points with a team-high nine assists and three steals at Indiana on March 20. Dunn has made a splash since joining the team, leading the squad in steals in four games and in assists three times while averaging 7.0 points, 5.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.00 steals.WATCH OUT FOR WATFORD: Trendon Watford scored in double-figures in seven consecutive games between March 2-16, making him the first Trail Blazers rookie since Damian Lillard to do so. He also joins Cade Cunningham (1st overall pick) and Jalen Green (2nd overall pick) as the only rookies this season to score 20+ points in three consecutive games - March 9-14. The undrafted rookie has set career highs in the month of March in points (27), rebounds (14), assists (6), blocks (4), steals (3), FGM (11) and 3PM (2).

Game #71 - Portland 119, Detroit 115 — March 21, 2022, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

Portland defeated Detroit 119-115 at Little Caesars Arena in the second leg of a road back-to-back ... All five Trail Blazers starters scored in double-figures and Ben McLemore added 23 off the bench (7-16 FG, 5-12 3-PT, 2-4 FT) ... Brandon Williams scored a game-high 23 points (6-17 FG, 0-3 3-PT, 11-11 FT) with six rebounds, three assists and three steals ... Drew Eubanks added 17 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 7-8 FT), eight rebounds and two assists ... CJ Elleby tallied a career-high 16 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 4-7 FT) with eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block ... Justise Winslow added 10 points (3-12 FG, 0-2 3-PT, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block ... Trendon Watford contributed 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-6 FT), three rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks ... Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey both led the Pistons with 25 points while Marvin Bagley III added 15.

Game #70 - Indiana 129, Portland 98 — March 20, 2022, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

Portland dropped a Sunday afternoon showdown with Indiana, 129-98 despite six Trail Blazers scoring in double-figures ... Josh Hart scored a game-high 26 points (11-13 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 1-1 FT) with three rebounds, four assists and two steals ... Trendon Watford scored 17 points (7-13 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 1-2 FT) with eight boards, three assists, two steals and one block ... Drew Eubanks dropped 12 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 2-2 FT) with eight rebounds and a steal ... Brandon Williams tallied 10 points and dished two assists ... Ben McLemore added 11 points, one rebound, one steal and one block off the bench ... Kris Dunn dished a team-high nine assists with 11 points, three steals and one rebound ... CJ Elleby scored two points and grabbed five rebounds ... Oshae Brissett led the Pacers with 24 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal ... Jalen Smith and Chris Duarte each added 17 points off the bench.

Game #69 - Brooklyn 128, Portland 123 — March 18, 2022, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Portland fell to Brooklyn 128-123 at Barclays Center ... Josh Hart led the Trail Blazers with 25 points (9-18 FG, 3-8 3-PT, 4-5 FT), five boards, seven assists and a steal in 40 minutes of action ... Brandon Williams dropped 24 points (10-19 FG, 3-7 3-PT, 1-3 FT) with six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 37 minutes ... Justise Winslow did a bit of everything, scoring 15 points (7-15 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 0-5 FT) with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 28 minutes ... Drew Eubanks grabbed six rebounds along with 18 points and three assists ... Trendon Watford scored eight points (3-8 FG, 0-2 3-PT, 2-2 FT) with three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block ... Ben McLemore added 17 points (5-13 FG, 5-12 3-PT, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists and a steal off the bench ... Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 38 points, six boards, six assists and a block.

Game #68 - New York 128, Portland 98 — March 16, 2022, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

The Trail Blazers lost to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden 128-98 ... Josh Hart led Portland with 17 points (6-15 FG, 2-6 3-PT, 3-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists ... Brandon Williams added 14 points (6-15 FG, 2-6 3-PT, 0-2 FT), two boards, two assists and two blocks ... Trendon Watford scored 11 points (4-11 FG, 0-3 3-PT, 3-4 FT) with eight rebounds and five assists, his seventh straight game scoring in double-figures ... Drew Eubanks added 10 points (5-8 FG) with nine rebounds and five assists ... Justise Winslow returned from a brief injury absence and tallied seven points (3-10 FG, 1-6 3-PT), seven rebounds and two assists ... Kris Dunn dropped 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3-PT), seven assists and a steal in 28 minutes off the bench ... RJ Barrett led New York with 31 points, four boards and five assists ... Julius Randle added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Game #67 - Atlanta 122, Portland 113 — March 14, 2022, State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

Portland fell to Atlanta 122-113 at State Farm Arena despite a 67-58 halftime lead ... Josh Hart once again brought early energy and scoring to the Trail Blazers starting unit, scoring 25 first half points and finishing the game with 31 (11-21 FG, 4-7 3-PT, 5-7 FT), plus seven rebounds and four assists ... Trendon Watford dropped 22 points (9-19 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds, four blocks and two assists ... Drew Eubanks tallied a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal ... Brandon Williams scored 20 points (8-17 FG, 2-6 3-PT, 2-5 FT) with three boards, six assists, one steal and one block ... CJ Elleby grabbed 13 rebounds with six points and five assists ... Trae Young led the Hawks with 46 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and one steal ... De'Andre Hunter added 20 points with three rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

For the Trail Blazers, Greg Brown III (left ankle; sprain) is probable; Eric Bledsoe (left Achilles; tendinopathy), Josh Hart (left knee; patellar tendinopathy), Joe Ingles (left knee recovery), Damian Lillard (core muscle recovery), Nassir Little (left shoulder recovery), Didi Louzada (left knee recovery), Jusuf Nurkic (left foot; plantar fasciitis) and Anfernee Simons (left knee; patellar tendinopathy) are out for Wednesday’s game against San Antonio.

For the Spurs, Keita Bates-Diop (mid back; soreness) is probable; Devontae Cacok (G League - on assignment), Romeo Langford (right hamstring; strain), Doug McDermott (right ankle; sprain), DJ Stewart (G League - two-way), Lonnie Walker IV (low back; spasms) and Robert Woodard II (G League - two-way) are out.

Wednesday’s game can be seen locally on ROOT SPORTS with Kevin Calabro, Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam calling the action. On the radio side, Travis Demers, Michael Holton and Jay Allen will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations of the Deschutes Brewery Trail Blazers Radio Network.

In alignment with the recent announcement from Oregon Governor Kate Brown, the Rose Quarter will remove the mask mandate for all events and venues beginning on Saturday, March 12. The Oregon Health Authority still recommends masking for people at higher risk from COVID-19, including unvaccinated people and immunocompromised people. Masks are encouraged while on the Rose Quarter campus and attending events.

In alignment with the lifting of the mask mandate on March 12, the Rose Quarter will also remove mandatory COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements as a condition of entry into our venues. While vaccines do not prevent individuals from contracting COVID, they are proven to be effective in greatly reducing the risk of severe illness, speeding up recovery and reducing downtime.

The Rose Quarter strongly recommends our guests be vaccinated, stay up to date on boosters and evaluate their own health situation prior to attending an event on campus.

Click here for more information on Moda Center’s health and safety protocols.