Portland Trail Blazers leaned on a historic all-around performance from Deni Avdija to secure a 115-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center. The win improved Portland to 16-20 and marked its second straight victory.
Avdija recorded 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double of his NBA career. He controlled the pace throughout and finished with a team-high plus-10 rating in 39 minutes.
Donovan Clingan delivered the most productive scoring night of his career. The rookie center recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 9-for-12 from the field.
Toumani Camara added 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland led all but 18 seconds of the game. The Trail Blazers set the tone early and kept their composure throughout multiple rallies in San Antonio.
Spurs entered the night winners of two consecutive matches, but were short of players. Victor Wembanyama missed the match with left knee soreness, while Devin Vassell was left out with a left adductor strain.
San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama will remain day-to-day and is expected to travel with the team to Memphis. It was the second night of a back-to-back for both clubs.
Portland never trailed in the first half and built the lead to 15 points. San Antonio struggled from the outside early, opening 3-for-12 from three-point range.
The Spurs briefly took their only lead in the third quarter with five minutes left. Kelly Olynyk’s free throw after an off-ball foul gave San Antonio a 74-71 lead.
That lead lasted only 18 seconds. Former Spurs forward Sidy Cissoko answered with a three-pointer to put Portland back in the lead.
The Trail Blazers then seized control with a 12-0 run in the third and fourth quarters. That play pushed the margin to 93-80 with 10:36 remaining.
San Antonio made a final push too late. De’Aaron Fox’s steal and assist to Stephon Castle for a breakaway dunk cut the deficit to 111-110 with 1:36 remaining.
Portland responded with efficient execution down the stretch. The visitors ended the game without allowing another Spurs basket.
Luke Kornet scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for San Antonio, while Julian Champagnie added 20 points and 10 boards. Fox finished with 19 points and Castle scored 16.
Portland shot 19-for-45 from three-point range, compared to San Antonio’s 10-for-31. The Trail Blazers also won the rebounding battle 52-48.
Portland hosts Utah on Monday night. San Antonio travels to Memphis on Tuesday.
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