Spurs at Trail Blazers
The San Antonio Spurs dropped the first two games of the annual Rodeo Road Trip and hope to turn their fortunes around when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. The eight-game trek began with two losses in Los Angeles - 108-105 to the Clippers on Monday and 129-102 to the Lakers on Tuesday.
This is the final meeting of the season between the teams and the winner of this contest will have the tiebreaker edge in playoff positioning after the clubs split their first two meetings, both in San Antonio. "Huge game for us," Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum told reporters. "It's gonna be crucial down the stretch of the season, could decide our fate." Portland also is coming off a blowout road loss after being routed 127-99 by the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. San Antonio is just 8-18 on the road and the club has tough stops against Denver and the Utah Jazz later in the trip.
TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: FS Southwest, NBCS Northwest
ABOUT THE SPURS (22-28): Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points in the loss against the Lakers to top 20 points for the fifth straight game and he is averaging 30.4 points during the stretch. DeRozan knows having two games in Los Angeles to start the trip was a tough draw but he said he had no complaints. "As a competitor, it's what you want to play against," DeRozan told reporters. "I don't look at it like it's being tough. It's part of the job, part of the game, and as a competitor you want to compete against the best. You worry about the toll afterwards."
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (23-28): Point guard Damian Lillard has scored 20 or more points in 16 consecutive games but having 21 points on 8-of-23 shooting versus Denver didn't seem all that great after he averaged 48.8 points over the previous six games. "I didn't have as many clean looks, but I still feel like I had some looks that I could have made," Lillard said afterward. "I thought they got away with a lot, too, just being physical." Lillard, who set a franchise record of 61 points against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 20, was just 1-of-6 from 3-point range against the Nuggets after setting an NBA record by making at least six in six straight contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lillard averaged 25 points in the first two meetings.
2. San Antonio PF LaMarcus Aldridge had just seven points against the Lakers and scored 10 or fewer in three of the past four games.
3. Portland F Nassir Little (ankle) was helped off in the final minute on Tuesday and postgame X-rays were negative.