Field Level Media
Nov 16, 2019
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and Hassan Whiteside added 21 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Portland Trail Blazers built a huge early lead, gave it all back and more, but then rallied for a 121-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in a wild, back-and-forth game in the Alamo City.
San Antonio trailed by as many as 20 in the first quarter and 23 in the second, but rallied to take the lead in the third and lead by as many as 15 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Portland came back to tie game at 111 after a putback layup by McCollum with 2:26 to play.
The Trail Blazers were the better team down the stretch, outscoring San Antonio 10-5 in the final two minutes to snap a two-game losing streak.
Damian Lillard added 22 points for the Trail Blazers (5-8) and Rodney Hood hit for 16 points in the win.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs (5-8) with 30 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
Bryn Forbes scored 17 points, Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan added 16 each, Patty Mills pumped in 11 points and Derrick White scored 10 for San Antonio, which has lost five straight games.
The Trail Blazers took charge in the first quarter, shooting 76 percent from the floor (and 7 of 11 from beyond the arc) while building a 41-23 lead after the first 12 minutes. It was the most points allowed by the Spurs in any quarter this season.
San Antonio forged an 18-4 run in the second quarter to claw back to within single digits, at 50-41, with 6:53 left in the period. Portland settled for a 66-58 lead at halftime as McCollum racked up 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and Whiteside added 10.
Aldridge paced the Spurs with 13 points in the first two quarters, while Forbes hit for 10.
San Antonio, which has lost eight of its past 10 games after a 3-0 start, now head out on a four-game road trip.
Saturday's contest was the opener of a daunting six-games-in-10-days road trip for Portland, which moves on to Houston on Monday and New Orleans on Tuesday, where the newly signed Carmelo Anthony is expected to make his debut for the team.
--Field Level Media