Trail Blazers 115, Spurs 105
Trail Blazers 115, Spurs 105: Damian Lillard scored 25 points and Nicolas Batum recorded a triple-double as Portland won its home opener and handed San Antonio its first loss while spoiling Tim Duncan’s return to the lineup.
Batum had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and seven rebounds for the Blazers, who won their second game in a row after stunning the Nuggets in Denver on Friday. Lillard, Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, who scored 20 points, combined to go 26-of-46 as Portland shot 55.6 percent from the field.
Duncan, who missed a 91-85 victory at the Los Angles Lakers on Friday with a bruised chest, had 24 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Marco Belinelli scored 19 points and Tony Parker added 17 points and nine assists for the Spurs.
Duncan started and scored six points in the first five minutes, but Portland still led 21-19 after the opening quarter. Lillard scored 12 second-quarter points to stake the Blazers to a 50-39 halftime advantage.
San Antonio tried to rally in the second half, but Portland had an answer every time. Belinelli’s 3-pointer made it 108-105 with 19 seconds left, but Batum scored five points in the final nine seconds to pick up his third career triple-double and seal the victory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Portland has won five home openers in a row and has a three-game winning streak against San Antonio. … The Spurs attempted just eight free throws, making five. … Two San Antonio starters, C Tiago Splitter and SG Danny Green, were held scoreless and only combined to take five shots from the field.