After four days off following a Sunday win over the Pelicans that saw the Spurs lose three more players (Stephon Castle, Zach Collins, and Keldon Johnson) to injury, they were already entering Portland shorthanded to take on a struggling Trail Blazers club. It would only get worse with their starting point guard getting ejected early, negating a strong start to the game. The Blazers then got red hot for the first 16 minutes of the second half to take a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, only for the Spurs to come back to life and win in a thrilling comeback while playing five rotation players short.
The Spurs were lethargic to open the game as the Trail Blazers quickly got out to a 12-5 lead, but after a timeout, they responded. They went on a 25-6 run, kicked off by six quick points from Jeremy Sochan, who returned to the starting lineup in place of an injured Castle. Charles Bassey and Devin Vassell also provided a big spark off the bench, but then, Chris Paul got himself ejected with two quick (albeit soft) technicals for complaining to the officials. Still, they entered the second quarter up 33-25.
The Spurs had to play point-guard-by-committee with some unconventional lineups thanks to all the injuries and now no Paul, with Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting some minutes. It was a sloppy second quarter for both teams, and the refs completely swallowed their whistles after the Paul ejection, so both teams were able to play some physical defense, making it even harder to score. Vassell and Victor Wembanyama were the Spurs’ main source of points, combining for 28 points on 11-20 shooting to help keep the Blazers at arm’s length and enter halftime up 52-42.
Similar to the start of the game, the Blazers — namely, Jerami Grant — were the hot team to open the second half. They were hitting their threes and kicked things off with an 18-8 run to tie the game back up. The Spurs woke up enough to keep things mostly even for a while before the Blazers finally took the lead for the first time since the first quarter with just over 2 minutes left in the third. Portland, who is the third worst third quarter team in the league, got whatever they wanted on offense, especially in transition, scoring 46 points to take an 88-80 lead over the Spurs into the final frame.
It got no better for the Spurs to start the fourth quarter as it was Anfernee Simons’ turn to get hot from three. They got the lead as high as 17 with under 8 minutes let, and it felt like the Spurs just didn’t have the personnel to make a comeback, but as it turns out, they did. Like clockwork, the shots stopped falling for Portland and started for the Spurs. Julian Champagnie kicked off the comeback with a three, and the Spurs started grinding their way back. Sochan was everywhere on the glass and defense, and Champagnie hit his third three of the run to give the Spurs the lead back at 112-109 with 2:08 left.
Both teams were back and forth from there, with the Blazers responding and tying things back up several times, including on a Grant layup with just over six seconds left after Vassell had just made a beautiful fadeaway. The Spurs called timeout to advance the ball, and Grant bit on a pump fake from Wemby, who made the game-wining free throws with two seconds left and Portland out of timeouts. It was the fourth time this season the Spurs have won despite being down 15 or more points, and while 118-116 win looks unimpressive on paper, it was quite a testament to the 10 players who were out there and fought until the bitter end.
Game Notes
- We have mostly seen the good side of CP3 as a Spur, but this was probably the first time he showcased his dark side that has been a turnoff to opposing fans for so many years. Yes, the refs were letting a lot of contact go, and without knowing what he said to them, the two quick techs and ejection for simply arguing for calls seemed excessive. Still, he should have known to stop after the first T and considered his team’s injury situation — particularly no Castle or Tre Jones — and not put them in the position he did.
- Vassell looks like his old self again. Outside of missing a few free throws, he had an amazing game with 23 points (4-7 from three), 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in 30 minutes. The Spurs are so deep on the wings, and it’s hard to know if the Spurs should shake up the rotations to move him back to the starting lineup. Castle, Champagnie and Harrison Barnes have all made a case to keep their starting jobs, but are Vassell and Sochan really meant to remain coming off the bench when every one is healthy? It’s a good problem to have, but one the coaching staff will eventually have to consider.
- Charles Bassey continues to step up when called upon. His 8 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block (I swear he had more) don’t jump off the page, but he’s a solid rim protector and is strong around the rim. We’ve probably said this a few times over the last few years, but if we could somehow make a hybrid player out of Bassey and Collins, you’d have the perfect backup center.
Play of the Game
There were a lot of plays to choose from during the comeback, but this one from Vassell (almost) sealed the outcome, helped show he is all the way back, and was a reminder of the automatic offense the Spurs miss without him.
Up next: Sunday vs. Timberwolves
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