The new-look Spurs are looking contenders, while the Trail Blazers spoiled King James’ Lakers debut. Now, both will face each other in Portland.
For anyone who ever had a shred of doubt about the 2018-19 San Antonio Spurs, those doubts may have been put to rest.
Opening their season against the dysfunctional Minnesota Timberwolves, new Spur DeMar DeRozan played his ever-brilliant mid-range game to a T, and it seemed like he vibed better with LaMarcus Aldridge than Kawhi Leonard ever did. The end result was a 112-108 victory, and it seemed like San Antonio (1-0) was looking like a contender again.
Now, the Silver and Black will hit the road on Saturday to face the Portland Trail Blazers, who ruined LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers debut and could be a playoff contender again.
Once again, the Blazers backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard (28 points) and CJ McCollum (21 points/3-6 3pts) were magnificent, but one of the shockers of the night was the play of Nik Stauskas, who poured in 24 points off the bench, hitting five three-pointers. No one, and I mean, no one, saw the production from Stauskas coming, and it sure did catch the Lakers off guard.
Stauskas performance, combined with the strong play of Jusuf Nurkic (16 points/9 rebounds) could give the Blazers some hope that they won’t have to solely rely on their backcourt for offense, and that Portland can now have a balanced attack that they hope would translate into a playoff run.
The Spurs, though, don’t have to wish for that to happen, as Gregg Popovich’s system of ball movement allows for a balanced attack on offense, but in DeRozan, the Spurs no possess a wing player who can dominate from mid-range on a consistent basis, and, in my opinion, their roster is as deep as it has been in the past few years.
Spurs at Blazers live stream details
When: Saturday, Oct. 20
Time: 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST
Where: Portland, OR
Venue: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter
TV Info: NBC Sports Northwest (Trail Blazers), Fox Sports Southwest (Spurs)
Live Stream: FuboTV (free seven-day trial), NBA League Pass