The Spurs are having a horrible season

The 4-25 San Antonio Spurs entered Thursday’s clash in Portland riding a five-game losing streak. During that stretch, the lowly Spurs were yielding a staggering 133.2 points a night while scoring just 112.2 points in return. San Antonio was dead last in the Western Conference on Thursday, holding the second-worst record in the NBA.

Last Tuesday, the Spurs lost to the Utah Jazz 130-118 and failed to cover a small 2.5-point spread in front of the home audience. San Antonio went 16-for-35 from downtown and posted an excellent 36/9 assist-to-turnover ratio, but the Spurs’ defense was horrendous once more. Keldon Johnson notched 26 points, Devin Vassell had 22 points and three steals, and Victor Wembanyama added 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

The Spurs are 25th in the league in adjusted defensive efficiency (119.5 points per 100 possessions). Their defense ranks 26th in 2-point percentage (56.3%), 30th in 3-point percentage (39.2%), and 27th in assists allowed per 100 possessions (27.8). San Antonio tallies 107.5 points per 100 possessions (29th in the NBA) on 52.8% shooting from inside the arc (22nd) and 34.5% from beyond the 3-point line (26th).

The Blazers hope to turn the corner

The 8-21 Portland Trail Blazers have won two of their previous four contests. They sandwiched two straight losses to the Washington Wizards 118-117 and at the Golden State Warriors 126-106 with a pair of home wins over the Phoenix Suns 109-104 and Sacramento Kings 130-113. Portland was 14th in the West on Thursday, trailing the No. 10 seed by 6.5 games.

Last Tuesday, the Trail Blazers stunned the Kings as 8.5-point underdogs. Portland made 50.0% of its field goals (16-for-40 from deep) and posted a strong 28/10 assist-to-turnover ratio while pulling 16 offensive rebounds down. Anfernee Simmons led the way for the Blazers with 29 points, Scoot Henderson double-doubled with 17 points and 11 assists, and Duop Reath added 25 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

The Trail Blazers score 109.8 points per 100 possessions (27th in the league) on 49.4% shooting from inside the arc (30th) and 35.4% from beyond the 3-point line (24th). They rank 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency (115.8), 30th in opposing 2-point percentage (58.9%), and second in opposing 3-point percentage (32.6%).