San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers
Following a grind of a win versus the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Antonio Spurs prepare to take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
This will be the Spurs' second matchup against the Blazers of the season, having defeated them 113-101 just a few days ago, in what was an emotional return to Portland for former Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs rode Aldridge on their way to victory, as he led all scorers with 23 on 9-18 from the field, and also tallied 6 boards and 2 assists.
In that first matchup between the teams, Portland's quick guards, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, carried the scoring load (22 and 21, respectively). While they were able to score a decent amount of points, the two combined for 40% shooting from the field, a figure that the Spurs would be more than happy with again. Those two generally account for a large portion of the offense, so any time a team can keep their heavy volume shooting at mediocre efficiency, it has to be considered a win.
San Antonio hopes to get Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili back into the lineup, both of whom missed the 76ers game for mild health concerns. Both are listed as probable for Monday's game.While Leonard's added offensive production so far this season has been welcome, Ginobili's output has easily been the most surprising part of the season for San Antonio.
In just 20 minutes per game, the 38-year-old Argentinian has averaged 11 points on 50% from the field, including 41% from deep. He's again been the key to a second-unit that looks like one of the best in the league, and has supplemented the offense while the starters keep trying to work Aldridge into the mix. That bench mob will again play a huge role against a Blazers team that has talented starters, but a thin, bench.
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San Antonio Spurs (5-2) |
Portland Trail Blazers (4-4) |
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November 16, 2015 |
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas |
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7:30 PM CST |
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TV: FSSW |
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Starters |
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Tony Parker |
PG |
Damian Lillard |
Danny Green |
SG |
CJ McCollum |
Kawhi Leonard |
SF |
Al-Farouq Aminu |
LaMarcus Aldridge |
PF |
Noah Vonleh |
Tim Duncan |
C |
Mason Plumlee |
Game prediction: Spurs by 10.
For the Blazer's perspective, visit Blazer's Edge.
As always Tony must dominate Fisher.