![]() ![]() From the opening tip, Portland played with energy and purpose, as if personally challenged by the awkward clashing of short and long-term organizational goals. Most of the guys still remaining on the roster do not have guaranteed contracts for next season, and they played like it. Tonight in particular it was the polar opposite. Goonies Never Say Dieĭon’t think that tanking translates to effort. The Blazers’ top weapon over that stretch, rookie Shaedon Sharpe, gave a curtain call before his absence during crunch time of Tuesday’s loss at Memphis and was held out of tonight’s game entirely with “left knee tendinopathy.” Surely a coincidence. The Blazers, however, sit at 33-47, just one game in the win column behind Orlando, Indiana and Washington. At 21-59, San Antonio has already locked up the best lottery odds possible for any team, which are shared by the bottom three teams in the NBA. The Spurs are the Bane to the Blazers’ Batman, having lived in the darkness of tanking since the dawn of the season, while Portland has merely adopted losing by design over the past couple months or so. With two remaining contests against playoff teams highly motivated to win, San Antonio presented the biggest threat to those odds that Portland would face during the home stretch of the season. While there were little competitive stakes to the game, the win has big implications for the chances of the Blazers potentially landing the number 1 pick the 2023 draft. Now, here are some observations about the game: Last Is the New First If you missed the game, read our instant recap here. Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie both added 24 points apiece. The Spurs were led by Keith Bates-Diop who had a game-high 25 points, 6 boards and 4 assists. Drew Eubanks also had a big night with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. Kevin Knox II led Portland with 24 points off the bench. The score remained close from wire-to-wire, with Portland holding 9-point advantage midway through the fourth quarter before a late San Antonio run flipped the script. The term “track meet” is as apt as ever, as both teams played with feverish pace and very little attention to defense. Here are live updates you can watch for the Suns and the Spurs.The Portland Trail Blazers dutifully fulfilled their obligation to participate in a NBA basketball game Thursday, falling on the road to the San Antonio Spurs 129-127 in a nail-biter. I was trying to do something, but it probably didn’t come off the right way. “He said that I was way better than that and that I didn’t need to do that. He called me and said, ‘Don’t you ever do that again,’” Williams said. “I think one time I said something in the media that was pretty self-deprecating about myself. Williams added that his best piece of advice from Popovich is to never doubt himself. “His impact on me and my family is something I don’t have enough time to talk about.” I just enjoy seeing him and I am grateful for the history I have with him. “I don’t think either one of us cherishes it (facing each other’s teams) because one of us has to lose,” Suns coach Monty Williams, who played under Popovich from the 1996-97 to 1997-98 seasons. San Antonio is far below the standard it set under coach Gregg Popovich with Hall of Fame players Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, but it still is well-coached and will be a challenge. The Suns are perceived to be a heavy favorite against the Spurs, who have a 20-58 record this year and rank No. Phoenix needs two wins to officially wrap up the race, and a win against San Antonio would give it a very likely chance to do so outside of a few circumstances. The Suns are very close to securing the No. The game will be televised by Bally Sports AZ. The Phoenix Suns face the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ![]()
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