 is sixth in the Western Conference, one game behind Oklahoma City for fifth. The Spurs, who host Golden State on Monday, have won 10 straight at home.Portland (42-27) is fourth in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Thunder.There were 14 lead changes and 12 ties in a contest as evenly matched as the standings.The Spurs made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including one by Derrick White with 2 minutes remaining that put them up 100-92.White and Rudy Gay finished with 13 points apiece. Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge each had 12.Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, but the Blazers were in New Orleans while the Spurs played at home. Despite the travel, Portland came out as the fresher team.Lillard drew consecutive fouls on White, forcing the Spurs to sit their point guard once he picked up his third foul with 4:43 remaining in the first half. The first foul came when Lillard fell in front of the Spurs bench with little to no contact by White, leading San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich to berate official Jason Goldenberg for the remainder of the first half and before entering the locker room. The Spurs were leading 40-39 when White exited and the Blazers then moved into the lead.Lillard, who moved past Aldridge on the Blazers' scoring list on Friday night, finished 13 for 29 from the field and added six rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes.Jusuf Nurkic added 24 points and Rodney Hood had 13.TIP-INSBlazers: Portland is 17-18 on the road this season, on pace to match last season's mark of 21-20 away from home. . Enes Kanter was scoreless and had four rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes. Kanter was averaging 14.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his previous three games. . Lillard has eight double-doubles this season.Spurs: Aldridge has 18,331 career points, moving past Hall of Famer Dave Bing for 70th in career scoring. Bing had 18,328 points in 12 seasons, including his first nine with Detroit. . Bryn Forbes has 250 career 3-pointers, joining Gary Neal and Davis Bertans as the only players in Spurs history to accomplish that feat in their first three seasons with the team.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Host Indiana on Tuesday.Spurs: Host Golden State on Monday.)
Mar 16, 2019San Antonio has used a seven-game winning streak to vault into its usual spot as a relative lock for a spot in the postseason.The Spurs can move further up the Western Conference standings if they can find a way to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday in the San Antonio.The Spurs (40-29) are 11 games above .500, their best mark of the season. They head into Saturday's game in sixth in the conference standings, 2 1/2 games behind fourth-place Portland.San Antonio posted its ninth consecutive victory at home on Friday when it dominated hapless New York 109-83 in the first of a home back-to-back. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in three quarters to lead balanced scoring.Aldridge posted his team-high 25th double-double as the Spurs opened a four-game homestand in fine fashion."If you want to go to the playoffs, you've got to win," Aldridge said about the team's improved play. "Everybody sensed that. Guys are starting to figure it out now." DeMar DeRozan and Bryn Forbes added 13 points each in the win, with Jakob Poeltl, Marco Belinelli and Rudy Gay scoring 12 points apiece. Gay returned after missing two games with the flu.DeRozan said the team has started to play consistently after a rough feeling-out period over the first half of the year."We have been, pretty much, consistent," DeRozan told the San Antonio Express News. "That was kind of always our struggle. But, you can see the consistency. We can beat anyone in this league. We always show up against the best. We have to treat everyone we play like they are the No. 1, No. 2 seed." The Trail Blazers also have a quick turnaround, heading to San Antonio after a 122-110 win in New Orleans on Friday in the first game of a road back-to-back. Damian Lillard finished with 24 points and seven assists, C. J. McCollum scored 23 points, and Enes Kanter added 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench.Rodney Hood, starting for Moe Harkless, who sat out with left knee soreness, went 5-of-7 from the field and scored 17 points in 28 minutes. Zach Collins tallied 12 points and Jusuf Nurkic racked up 11 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in 22 minutes.Saturday's game is the final of a three-game road trip for Portland, which has won three straight. The victory also allowed Portland (42-26) to sweep the three-game season-series against the Pelicans, who swept the Blazers from the first-round of last season's playoffs."It's kind of hung over our head all summer and all season," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts told The Oregonian before tip-off. "But the good thing is we're looking forward instead of backward." Lillard moved past Aldridge, his former teammate, for the second spot in Portland's career scoring list with 12,565 points. It took Lillard under seven seasons to reach the lofty spot, but he is still well back of Clyde Drexler, the Trail Blazers' all-time franchise scoring leader, who amassed 18,040 points in 11 1/2 seasons in Portland."It means a lot," Lillard said. "He's the first one that I've passed that has been in the league at the same time as me and was a teammate of mine. It's getting closer -- that No. 1 spot -- now I'm gunning for Clyde. LaMarcus has already congratulated me." Harkless missed his 21st game this season with a lingering knee injury. "Hopefully he'll play (Saturday)," Stotts said.--Field Level Media
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