Blazers Look to Clinch NBA Cup Group Against Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers can clinch their NBA Cup group by defeating the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. Currently, the Blazers hold a record of two wins and one loss in a challenging five-team group that includes the Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets.

The Nuggets also stand at two and one but the Trail Blazers have the advantage having previously defeated Denver, thus controlling their own destiny. Coach Tiago Splitter expressed confidence in his team's performance, stating, 'We’re going with a good positive energy, with confidence, with a big chance to go win the game.' The Spurs enter this matchup with a record of one win and one loss in NBA Cup play, still missing star big man Victor Wembanyama due to a calf injury and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, who is sidelined with a hip flexor issue.

Additionally, the No. 2 overall draft pick, Dylan Harper, is questionable after missing the last ten games with his own calf injury. The Spurs suffered a setback on Sunday, losing 111-102 to the Phoenix Suns, which was their first defeat in four games without Wembanyama.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson criticized his team's approach in that game, noting, 'We didn’t come out with the right approach at the start.' San Antonio committed 19 turnovers while only forcing six from Phoenix, which proved costly in the final outcome.

De'Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 26 points, marking his fifth consecutive game scoring over 20 points. Meanwhile, Portland is coming off a strong performance, having just defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 115-103 on the road, where they led by as much as 33 points.

Donovan Clingan, a key player for the Blazers, remarked, 'We really stuck together... We guarded very well, got to the foul line, and we did what we had to do.' Jerami Grant had a standout game, scoring a season-high 35 points, including 16 of 19 from the free-throw line.

Deni Avdija contributed 22 points and Clingan achieved a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Coach Splitter praised the team's energy and performance, emphasizing the importance of maintaining this momentum.

Notably, sharpshooter Shaedon Sharpe is listed as questionable after missing the previous four games with a calf injury. Last season, the Spurs had the upper hand against the Trail Blazers, winning three out of four matchups.