featured-image

Two-Week Homestand Ends Thursday Night Versus Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers (32-21) finish off an 15-day homestand Thursday night by hosting the San Antonio Spurs (32-24) in a nationally-televised tilt at the Moda Center. It is also expected to be the first game as a Trail Blazer for Rodney Hood, who was acquired via trade earlier in the week from Cleveland. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

SERIES NOTES

ALL TIME: Spurs lead, 85-83IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 53-31AT THE SPURS: Spurs lead, 54-30LAST PORTLAND WIN: 121-108, 10/20/18 (Portland)LAST SPURS WIN: 131-118, 12/2/18 (San Antonio)CURRENT WIN STREAK: One (San Antonio)

GAME NOTES

• Thursday’s game marks the third of four meetings between the Trail Blazers and the Spurs during the 2018-19 season. The season series is tied, 1-1.

LAST MEETING: The Spurs outlasted the Trail Blazers in a high-scoring affair in San Antonio on Dec. 2, winning 131-118. DeMar DeRozan led the way for San Antonio with 36 points (13-27 FG, 10-10 FT), eight rebounds and six assists, while Damian Lillard paced the Trail Blazers with a 37 points (12-28 FG, 3-11 3-PT, 10-10 FT), two rebounds and 10 assists.

3-PT ACCURACY: Over the last 10 games, San Antonio is second in the league in 3-PT accuracy (41.8%) while Portland is fifth (39.2%).

• In two games against the Spurs this season, Damian Lillard has averaged 33.0 points (48.8% FG, 35.3% 3-PT, 100% FT), 2.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists. Lillard has scored at least 29 points in four of his last five games against the Spurs.

• CJ McCollum has averaged 24.0 points (54.1% FG, 46.2% 3-PT, 66.7% FT), 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games against San Antonio this season. McCollum has scored 20-plus points in five of his last seven games against San Antonio.

• Jusuf Nurkic logged 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Spurs on Dec. 2. Nurkic has logged a double-double in two of his last four games against San Antonio.

• In two games against the Trail Blazers this season, DeMar DeRozan has averaged 32.0 points (49.0% FG, 100.0% FT), 5.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.00 steals. DeRozan has scored 20-plus points in 14 straight games against Portland and has topped 30 points five times during that span.

• LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points (11-15 FG, 7-8 FT) to go with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block against Port- land on Dec. 2. Aldridge has scored 20-plus points in four of his last five games against the Trail Blazers.

CONNECTION: Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldrdige played his first nine NBA seasons with Portland (2006-15), averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in 648 games (607 starts).

CONNECTION: San Antonio guard Patty Mills and San Antonio forward Dante Cunningham were teammates in Portland from 2009-11.

INJURY NOTES

The Trail Blazers have no injuries to report.

The Spurs have not yet submitted their injury report.

BROADCAST NOTES

Thursday's game will be nationally televised on TNT. Brian Wheeler and Michael Holton will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations of the stations of the Trail Blazers Radio Network.