Trail Blazers Eliminated from NBA Cup, Fall to Spurs 129-115
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Trail Blazers’ hopes of advancing to the NBA Cup knockout round were dashed Friday night, falling to the san Antonio Spurs 129-115. Despite a strong performance from Deni Avdija and the return of shaedon Sharpe,the Blazers couldn’t overcome a dominant Spurs backcourt.
Avdija led the Blazers wiht a prolific outing, scoring 27 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He added eight assists and six rebounds. However, Avdija struggled at the free-throw line late in the game, going just 2-for-8 in the final period, hindering Portland’s comeback attempt.
de’Aaron Fox paced the Spurs with 37 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while Devin Vassell contributed 23 points and six assists.
Sharpe returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games with a right calf strain. He received a warm ovation from the home crowd upon entering the game with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter. Sharpe quickly made an impact, scoring eight consecutive points during a hot streak that helped establish an early 30-29 Portland lead. He finished the night with 11 points,five rebounds,and two assists in 21 minutes,playing under a minutes restriction,and shot 4-of-8 from the field,though he went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Sharpe’s performance was uneven, as he scored just two points in the second half and committed three turnovers.
The Blazers will next host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Moda Center. This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season.
