Despite a Valiant Effort from Portland, the Spurs used their Depth and Teamwork to Outlast the Blazers
The San Antonio Spurs proved again why they are the most consistent franchise in the NBA today. After a turnover ridden first quarter, the Spurs slowly clawed their way back to a sixteen point victory. Without Damian Lillard running the show, the Blazers are a different animal to tame. Teams don’t have much film to prepare, and Portland capitalized. Jumping off to a fast start in the first quarter, the Blazers got up early and tried to maintain a lead. A strategy that could work against almost every team in the league, but not the well coached Spurs.
Usually teams make adjustments at halftime, but the Spurs were able to figure out their shortcomings and chip away each following quarter. They figured out their shortcomings in the turnover game and let their experience tame the Blazers.
It looked to be another solid defensive effort from the Blazers without Lillard. Holding the Spurs to just 47 points in the first half, it looked like Portland was going to contain all of the strong guards from San Antonio. Unfortunately, the emergence of Jonathan Simmons as an energy filled big man opened the floor. Once he started scoring (19 points), it opened the court for San Antonio.
Despite a lackluster game from LaMarcus Aldridge and the absence of Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio was just too deep for Portland to handle. Overall it was a valiant effort, but as the game wore on towards the end, Portland just couldn’t keep up.
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