San Antonio Spurs Hoping to Earn Rare Victory

San Antonio lost their fifth straight and dropped to 1-23 in their last 24 games as they were clobbered on the road by Dallas in their previous contest. The Spurs dropped to 4-25 on the season and are last in the Southwest Division, 13.5 games behind Dallas for the top spot. They were 13 games behind the Kings for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference and 10.5 games behind the Warriors for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Against Utah, San Antonio started strong, leading by 15 with 3:20 to play in the opening quarter. Things unraveled from there as their lead was trimmed to five by the end of the quarter. The Spurs trailed by four at the half and never got even again as the Jazz got their offense going in the second half. San Antonio shot 44.9% from the field, including 16 of 35 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 53-43 in the game. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 26 points off the bench in the loss.

For the year, the Spurs are 25th in the league in scoring offense as they average 110.9 points per game on the year. San Antonio is 19th in rebounding by grabbing 43.3 boards a night while they are fourth in the league in assists by handing out 29.1 dimes per contest. The Spurs are 28th in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 123.2 points per game. Rookie Victor Wembanyama leads the team with 18.3 points plus 10.6 rebounds and three blocks this season. Keldon Johnson is third on the team with 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. Devin Vassell (18.1 points), Zach Collins (12.9 points, six rebounds) and Jeremy Sochan (11 points, 5.7 boards, 4.1 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Tre Jones, Cedi Osman, Doug McDermott, Charles Bassey and Blake Wesley are other rotation pieces for coach Gregg Popovich. San Antonio is 28th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.4% from the floor on the year. The Spurs are 13th in threes per game as they connect on 12.9 triples a night while they are 26th in three-point percentage by shooting 34.5% from beyond the arc.

Portland Trail Blazers Seeking Back-to-Back Victories

Portland had dropped two straight and nine of their previous 10 games but rolled past Sacramento at home in their previous contest. The Trail Blazers entered Wednesday 8-21 on the season and stood in the basement of the Northwest Division, 14 games behind the Timberwolves for the top spot. They were nine games behind the Kings for the final guaranteed playoff spot and 6.5 games behind the Warriors for the final spot in the play-in tournament field. Against Sacramento, Portland trailed 10-2 early but rallied to lead by one after the opening quarter. The Trail Blazers were up as many as 19 in the second quarter only to see their lead trimmed to seven at the half. Portland didn’t let Sacramento closer than four the rest of the way en route to the win. The Trail Blazers shot an even 50% from the field, including 16 of 40 from three-point range, and held a 46-40 advantage on the glass in the game. Anfernee Simons paced Portland with 29 points in the win.

On the year, the Trail Blazers are 29th in the league in scoring offense with 108.7 points per game. Portland is 27th in the league in rebounding with 41.2 boards a contest and 30th in assists as they hand out 22.6 assists per game this season. The Trail Blazers are 17th in scoring defense by allowing 114.7 points per night. Anfernee Simons leads the team with 27.1 points plus 5.3 assists per game this season. Jerami Grant puts up 22 points a night while Shaedon Sharpe (16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Malcolm Brogdon (15.4 points, 5.7 assists) are solid scoring options as well. Deandre Ayton (13.1 points, 10.8 rebounds), Scoot Henderson (11.1 points, 4.5 assists), Robert Williams III, Jabari Walker, Toumani Camara, Matisse Thybulle, Skyler Mays and Kris Murray have been a part of the Trail Blazers’ rotation this season. Portland is 29th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44% from the field as a team this season. The Trail Blazers are 19th in the league in threes per game as they hit 12.3 triples per game and are 23rd in three-point percentage as they hit 35.4% from beyond the arc.

Williams III (knee) is done for the year after undergoing surgery in November. Sharpe (adductor) missed the last three games while Ayton (knee) missed Tuesday’s contest. They are both questionable here so watch for any new information closer to tip-off.