The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 147-127 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak, led by the 37 points and 12 assists of Damian Lillard.
For the struggling Blazers, who had dropped eight of their previous ten games, Jusuf Nurkic contributed 25 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Spurs, who have dropped seven of their previous eight games and are currently sitting second-to-last in the Western Conference standings, just above the Houston Rockets, Keldon Johnson scored 20 points.
They tied the score at 74 at the completion of the first half’s high-scoring action. When Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer to give the Blazers a 103-95 lead late in the third quarter, the Blazers began to pull away.
The Blazers now lead 108-97 thanks to a 3 from rookie Shaedon Sharpe and a slam by him. Lillard added a third 3-pointer from directly inside the Portland pinwheel logo at the basket. Also Read: Jalen Green scores 42 points to lead the Rockets past the Timberwolves, stopping a 13-game losing run
Coach Praises Damian Lillard and the entire team
Prior to their matchup with the Spurs, Portland coach Chauncey Billups addressed the players. He claimed to have used the quotation, “Adversity has a way of introducing a man to himself,” without going into specifics about the conversation.
He then commended the team for making a comeback. Also Read: Detroit Pistons vs Milwaukee Bucks Final Injury Report date – 23/01/2023: Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing against Detroit Pistons tonight?
“What we did tonight was extremely difficult. “In my experience, just being around and losing a game like we did last night has a lasting effect on you,” Billups said. “And I’m extremely pleased with my players for being able to put it aside and just move on and just concentrate about the Spurs. It’s quite difficult. I’m incredibly proud of my guys for having the mental courage to do so.”
The Blazers had a 40-38 advantage after one quarter. The Spurs now lead 57-53 after Tre Jones’ driving layup. With just over a minute to go before halftime, though, Damian Lillard was fouled on a 3-point effort and made all three, giving the Blazers a 72-67 advantage.
“We’re scoring enough points, but not stopping enough. Damian deserves a lot of credit tonight. He was fantastic and outplayed us, a fantastic player ,”He is who he is, and we couldn’t stop him,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
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