The San Antonio Spurs rallied back to take a 15-point lead in the second half but it was not enough as they fell 121-116 to the Portland Trail Blazers (5-8) at the AT&T Center on Saturday night.
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich was ejected early in the third quarter. Everyone had originally thought assistant coach Becky Hammon had taken over, which would have been a historic moment in sports history. Instead, Pop confirmed after the game it was Tim Duncan who was the acting head coach, not Hammon.
Together, Duncan, Hammon and Will Hardy coached by committee, but it was Duncan who was the main one in charge during timeouts and calling the plays.
“I thought we competed for more of the 48 minutes than we have in other games,” Popovich said. “I think they can sleep well tonight even though it’s a loss.”
Here are the three standout players from the game:
LaMarcus Aldridge
The former Blazer loves playing against his old team and he helped the Spurs come back to take a lead in the game.
Aldridge finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds, putting together his best performance in nearly a week. He was aggressive, went to the basket, and hit some big-time shots when San Antonio needed it most.
Despite the Spurs’ loss, this is the best LMA has looked in weeks and this game should provide a massive confidence boost to the All-Star forward as the Spurs prepare to hit the road for a big road trip next week.
Bryn Forbes
The former Michigan State Spartan had a big part in the comeback for San Antonio, driving the paint, being aggressive, and getting his teammates buckets with assists. He also had a big three-pointer to cut into the deficit.
Overall, Forbes finished with 17 points but was just 1-of-4 from three. He was active defensively and had a big steal late in the third quarter for San Antonio.
Rudy Gay
The veteran led the Spurs second unit off the bench as he played with heart and aggression as the Silver and Black made their comeback and took the lead.
Gay had 16 points off the bench, shooting 71 percent from the floor. Gay struggled on both ends to start the season but since then, he has been active on both ends. Defensively, he had four rebounds, a block, and a steal.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 5-8 on the season and will return to the court on Monday night when they open a four-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks (7-5) at the AmericanAirlines Center at 7:30 p.m.
