Soobum Im-Imagn Images The Spurs, now officially eliminated from postseason contention, failed to complete the comeback in Portland. The Spurs' slow start, as it has many times this season, cost them a winnable game. They got into a hole early against a severely shorthanded Trail Blazers team and while they got close in the scoreboard a few times, they couldn’t get over the hump, ultimately losing 120-109. The Blazers, missing half their team, still were the more cohesive team early in the game, which was the main reason they emerged victorious. While the Spurs suffered from miscommunication on the defensive end in the first quarter, Portland focused on pressuring their opponent’s ball handlers to make everything tough on offense and had Donovan Clingan roam in the paint while leaving Bismack Biyombo open. Biyombo scored some buckets, but every time he took a shot, it felt like a win for the defense. The only thing keeping San Antonio’s offense alive in the opening frame was a hot-shooting Devin Vassell, but once he cooled off, an almost five-minute scoring drought followed. On the other end, the hosts trusted Dalano Banton to break down a leaky perimeter defense on drives, and he delivered. After one, the Blazers led by 15. With the Spurs showing little signs of life, Mitch Johnson decided to go deeper into his bench and sent in Malaki Branham and Jordan McLaughlin. It paid off initially, as the energy improved and good defense turned to offense for the Silver and Black in transition and early offense, which helped alleviate their struggles in the half-court. Meanwhile, just as the home team had made Biyombo a big part of the offense by design, San Antonio countered by leaving Toumani Camara open from outside, trusting his inconsistent jumper wouldn’t make them pay. The gamble paid off, as the defensive ace missed more often than not and the Blazers’ offense sputtered. Neither team was playing well, and several regular contributors struggled, but the second frame belonged to the Spurs, which trimmed the deficit to nine heading into the break. The Spurs figured some things out on offense in the third quarter. Mostly, Chris Paul realized that he needed to be more aggressive to punish Portland from baiting passes to Biyombo. The Point God took some jumpers over Donovan Clingan and kept his dribble alive longer to find open players. Unfortunately for San Antonio, Camara started to hit some shots, Banton remained a problem, and the Blazers kept up easily in the scoring department. It was an ugly game at times that was surprisingly strategically played for an April matchup between two teams that ended the night officially eliminated from postseason contention. The big men played a huge part in determining who was doing well, and the wrong combinations swung the momentum. Mitch Johnson picked the wrong unit to close the third, and what at one point was just a five-point deficit climbed to 13. The hole the Spurs dug themselves in in the first quarter was killing their chances of a victory, and only a big fourth quarter would allow them to pull off the comeback. To their credit, they tried, applying pressure to an inexperienced Portland team that just refused to fold. Harrison Barnes and Stephon Castle made big plays, and the Silver and Black dropped 34 points in the frame. The problem is that they also allowed the same amount. Unforced turnovers inbounding after made buckets, untimely offensive boards, and missed shots that could have given them the edge doomed them. Despite outscoring the Blazers in the final three periods, they couldn’t prevail. The closest they got was to trail by just two entering the final three minutes, but they couldn’t finish strong and kicked off their four-game road trip with an avoidable loss. Game notes Paul, Biyombo, and Barnes all scored in double digits and had good games. The veteran starters have done a good job of keeping the team organized and as competitive as possible, considering the absences. Devin Vassell continues to play well to close the season. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Vassell seems more comfortable aggressively looking for his shot for short spurts while deferring to others for stretches and focusing on defense. Stephon Castle had 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He was huge in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs get close. He also had his usual struggles, missing four of his five three-point attempts and logging four turnovers. This upcoming offseason will be a big one for Castle, who needs to get better as a shooter to start next season next to De’Aaron Fox. Three of the four bench players who have gotten the most minutes recently struggled. Keldon Johnson had an awful game on offense, going 1-for-11 from the field and getting no trips to the line. Sandro Mamukelashvili missed all of his three-pointers, so Coach Johnson went with Barnes at center in his small lineups in the second half. Blake Wesley was active but out of control. Julian Champagnie wasn’t much better, but he at least hit a couple of threes. With other bench players struggling, McLaughlin and Branham got an opportunity to get more playing time and made the most of it. Johnson credited them with changing the energy when they checked in. McLaughlin’s stat line doesn’t reflect how big of a positive impact he made in his 10 minutes, but Branham’s 17 points in 14 shots in 23 minutes show that the young guard had one of his best games of the season. As a reward, he got to play the entire fourth quarter. Play of the game Chris Paul only had 14 layups in the entire season coming into this game, but his 15th was a beauty. poor clingan https://t.co/eeOx3jfexp pic.twitter.com/3gkzGxJocW— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) April 7, 2025 Next game: at Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday The Spurs will visit Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and the surprisingly good and fun Clippers next. ...read more read less