The Spurs play their first of two back-to-back games at the Moda Center tonight.
The Portland Trail Blazers have suffered just as much this season as the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, despite not having a historic double-digit losing streak to their name. The team’s first season without veteran cornerstone Damian Lillard, who was (finally) traded when the organization chose to select Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the June draft, has seen them go 8-21. Portland has a few intriguing young players in addition to Henderson, but they are in the same situation as the Spurs in terms of their capacity to play competitive basketball.
The first of two games that will be played at the Moda Center tonight is this matchup. As the team gradually heals from the ankle roll Victor Wembanyama sustained prior to the Dallas game, he is also expected to miss at least one of the two games. All of this is happening while head coach Gregg Popovich seems to be seriously considering more shake-ups in his quest for accountability with the NBA’s youngest team, if his remarks after the team’s most recent loss to the Jazz are any guide.
Portland Trail Blazers (8-21) vs. San Antonio Spurs (4-25) on December 28, 2023, at 9:00 PM CT
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Spurs Victor Wembanyama (ankle, day-to-day), Devonte’ Graham (illness, OUT), and Charles Bassey (year-long absence) are the injuries.Shaedon Sharpe (groin) and DeandreAyton (knee) are the Blazers’ two injured players.
Things to be aware of
Pop informed reporters that Wemby would only be able to play in one of the two Spurs games in Portland, without specifying which game the rookie would be restricted to, after Wemby made his comeback against the Jazz on Tuesday night. Wemby had missed the previous game due to the previously mentioned rolled ankle. It’s likely that he will miss the first game and play in the second, as Pop seems to believe that Wembanyama didn’t look completely himself during his twenty-four minutes against Utah. It sounds like Pop Logic to give him an extra two days off before his next game.
In his first season, Scoot Henderson is not having a good start to things. Recovering from an ankle sprain he sustained earlier in the month, he missed a significant portion of November before playing again for Portland’s new G-League team, the Rip City Remix. He is scoring 11 points a night on just 37% of his field goals and 25% of his three-pointers.
Afernee Simon, a fifth-year shooting guard, was also unavailable to Portland until very recently due to a thumb injury that sidelined him for the entirety of November. Simon has averaged 28 points per game on shooting splits of 46/40/92 since making his comeback against the Golden State Warriors on December 6. He has also contributed three rebounds and five assists. In just his eighth game back from the injury, he scored 41 points against the Washington Wizards.
Considering that Keldon Johnson has already committed to sitting down for the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to watch what other decisions Pop makes in light of his remarks from Tuesday. Popovich told reporters that he “need(ed) to demand more from certain people” after that defeat. They need to be more reliable now, or I’ll have to start making adjustments. It’s anyone’s guess as to who those “certain people” could be—and many have definitely been speculating—but it’s possible that this young team doesn’t have enough difference makers on it as it stands right now. But those remarks made by the general public might be the spark that ignites the proverbial fire. Would that not be noteworthy?
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