San Antonio Spurs (61-20) beat Portland Trail Blazers (40-40) 112-101 at home on Wednesday, April 8, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs had the better start, winning the first 32-23 to lead by 9 after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 29-28 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 27-22 to create some separation, taking a 15-point lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers took the fourth 28-24; the Spurs held on for a 112-101 regulation win.
What decided it
The Spurs made 17 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 5.4 for the Trail Blazers. The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 55.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.6% for the Trail Blazers. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 110.5 points per 100 possessions to 99.6 for the Trail Blazers.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 38-10.
Who made the difference
De'Aaron Fox was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 25 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl on 10-20 shooting. His Game Score of 19.2 led everyone. His team was -3 with him on the floor.
Toumani Camara led the Trail Blazers with 18 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl on 7-12 shooting, good for a 19.1 Game Score.
Donovan Clingan (11 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast) and Jrue Holiday (13 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Spurs about a 88% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, San Antonio Spurs lead 4-2.
The Spurs are now 61-20, and the Trail Blazers are 40-40. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.