Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers – Game #9
Malaki Branham and the Spurs will try to get back on the winning track tonight (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will play their second game in as many days tonight when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers at the Frost Bank Center. Last night, the Spurs got blown out by the Houston Rockets. The Spurs had a few solid performances but the majority of players struggled, as San Antonio got down early and could never find a way to get back in it.
Both the Spurs and the Blazers enter the game with a record of 3-5. After winning two straight games, the Silver and Black have now lost two consecutive contests. Portland hasn’t played since Monday when they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 118-100. In that game, Anfernee Simons led the way for the Trail Blazers with 24 points.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
For the second straight game, the Spurs will be without one head coach and three key players. Gregg Popovich remains out for an indefinite period of time after suffering an undisclosed health issue. Devin Vassell, Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan will also miss the game against the Blazers. Vassell had offseason foot surgery, Jones has a sprained ankle and Sochan broke his thumb.
There is, however, some good news on the Vassell front. Talk around the team indicates that Vassell could be back in the lineup as early as Saturday.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
In the blowout loss to the Rockets, the Spurs started Chris Paul at point guard, Stephon Castle at shooting guard, Julian Champagnie at small forward, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center. While it’s possible that acting head coach Mitch Johnson could shuffle things around, it’s more likely that he’ll go with the same starting five.
Off the bench, expect Keldon Johnson and Sandro Mamukelashvili to get extended playing time due to the absence of Sochan.
Victor Wembanyama’s Slow Start to the Season
The Spurs are patiently waiting for Wembanyama to find his groove. The super sophomore is averaging 18.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.4% from the field and 21.4% from three-point land. While his averages for points and rebounds are acceptable, he obviously will need to shoot better to live up to expectations.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Blazers
The Spurs are favored by four points and the over/under is 217.5 points. San Antonio’s defense last game looked a lot worse without the services of Sochan. For that reason alone, the safe money tonight is on the over.