Talk about a roller coaster of emotion, because that is what Blazer fans dealt with in San Antonio on Saturday night.
The Blazers, without Carmelo Anthony and in desperate need of a win, jumped on the Spurs early. Portland held the 41-23 lead at the end of the first, and the lead ballooned to 23 just minutes into the second quarter.
It looked like the type of game the Blazers would pull away and coast to victory. But the Spurs wouldn’t have it.
In the second half, Gregg Popovich earned two quick techs and was ejected, jolting a little life back into the Spurs. San Antonio went on a 32-13 run following the ejection and had a double-digit lead in the fourth and final quarter.
Just when it looked like the Spurs had flipped the script, Portland flipped it right back. The Blazers clawed back and ended the game on a 17-6 run to grab the lead, and the victory over the Spurs.
Final score in San Antonio: Blazers 121 – Spurs 116.
QUOTABLES:
Nassir Little on the key to winning:
I mean, down the stretch we got key stops, and I think honestly the biggest play of the game was when I tipped it off of Rudy (Gay) and got the extra possession and Rodney (Hood) got the and-one to put us up three.
CJ McCollum on importance of the victory:
Super important. We took a loss to Sacramento then another loss at home. We got another long road trip, four games under .500, it was huge for us to not only get a win on the road to begin the trip, but just to start the trip the right way.
Coach Stotts on what the win means:
Well, to win it in the fourth quarter, you know our defense, we had held them to 20 (points) in the fourth quarter, that's big for us. I think defensively in the fourth quarter, that was really important for us. It's been our Achilles heel lately, so hopefully, that will reinforce them.
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA:
When Blazers up 20 a fan yells: "Act like you care Spurs!!!"
— Jamie Hudson (@JamieHudsonNBCS) November 17, 2019
Just now Blazers up 10... same guy (I think): "I believe Spurs"
Hassan just said “Ball don’t lie”. Build him a statue.
— Matthew Heady (@matthewdheady) November 17, 2019
crazy when you think about how Melo wasn’t in the building, let alone the state tn, but we won because of him
— Earth Kingdom RefugNi (@nilamadison) November 17, 2019
Big ups to @2ez_nassie and @youngwhiteside for their play tonight. Big part of why we got the win. #RipCity
— Pinwheel Empire (@PinwheelEmpire) November 17, 2019
It ended fun! https://t.co/FjAWsyceAP
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) November 17, 2019
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