Trail Blazers at Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs had few issues dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers last week, and LaMarcus Aldridge handled the emotion of playing against his former team. Aldridge and the Spurs will look for their fifth straight win when they host the Trail Blazers on Monday.
Aldridge, who signed a four-year, $80 million free agent deal with San Antonio in the offseason after spending the previous nine seasons in Portland, put up 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting in the 113-101 win at the Trail Blazers last week – his second-highest scoring effort on the young season. The 30-year-old Texan is still finding his way in the Spurs offense but made a strong contribution to the team’s 92-83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday with 17 points and a season-best 19 rebounds. Portland is having some trouble finding its form without its former go-to inside force and suffered a fifth straight loss on Sunday. The Trail Blazers watched another of their former stars, Nicolas Batum, go off for 33 points in a 106-94 loss at Charlotte on Sunday.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (4-7): Portland got off to a strong start despite watching four-fifths of the starting five from last season’s 51-win team depart during the summer, but things have not been as smooth of late. The frontcourt, which averaged 42.4 points last season among Aldridge, Batum and Robin Lopez, combined for 24 in Sunday’s loss, and starting center Mason Plumlee has scored in single digits in five of the last six games. The Trail Blazers needed a late run to make Sunday’s final score respectable after falling behind by 29 points late in the third quarter.
ABOUT THE SPURS (7-2): Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard are in the process of taking on more responsibility for the team with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker advancing in years, but the San Antonio system allows everyone to have a great game every once in a while. Leonard (upper respiratory infection) sat out Saturday and Kyle Anderson did his best Leonard impression with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the spot start. Both Leonard and Ginobili (adductor) are expected to return on Monday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Duncan (2,955) blocked five shots on Saturday to pass former teammate David Robinson for fifth on the all-time list.
2. Trail Blazers G Gerald Henderson has seen his scoring total decrease from 12 to five to zero in three games since returning from a hip injury.
3. Portland SF Allen Crabbe is 13-of-16 from the field in the last two games.