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 In his first trip back to the Moda Center since signing a free agent
contract with San Antonio in July, Aldridge scored a game-high 23
points to lead the Spurs to a 113-101 victory over the Portland
Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
"It was definitely a little weird being on the back side of it as a
visitor," said Aldridge, who spent his first nine NBA seasons with
the Trail Blazers. "But it went well. The guys played well. We moved
the ball around and wound up getting the win."
Aldridge was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos during
pregame introductions -- "It might have like 70 to 30 (percent)," he
said -- and then was booed by some fans every time he touched the
ball.
"It took awhile to get used to it," said Aldridge, who shot 9-for-18
from the field and grabbed six rebounds in 35 minutes. "That was my
first time being booed like that. At first it surprised me, but
after a while, I was used to it."
Forward Kawhi Leonard added 20 points as San Antonio (6-2) won its
third consecutive game.
Guards Damian Lillard (22 points and nine assists) and CJ McCollum
(21 points) were the top guns for the Trail Blazers (4-5), who lost
their third game in a row.
The Spurs shot 56.1 percent from the field, including 7-for-15 from
3-point range, with 27 assists on 46 baskets.
"They're a veteran team," said Portland center Mason Plumlee, who
had nine points and nine rebounds. "They showed that tonight. They
scored when they needed to in different parts of the game.
"With their whole team, the ball is moving. They're all good
passers, and everybody is a threat, too. Everybody can score and
bring something to the table.
San Antonio's front line all hit double figures in the first half --
center Tim Duncan and Leonard with 11 points apiece, Aldridge with
10 -- as the Spurs shot 59 percent and took a 58-46 advantage into
intermission. McCollum had 14 first-half points and Lillard 11 for
the Blazers.
Portland outscored the Spurs 20-8 to start the third quarter to draw
even at 66-66. Aldridge knocked down back-to-back jumpers and scored
six straight points to start a 15-9 run as the Spurs took an 81-75
edge into the fourth quarter.
San Antonio increased the margin to 99-87 on forward Boris Diaw's
post-up with 6:30 remaining. McCollum buried a 3-pointer to cut the
difference to 104-97, but the Blazers could get no closer.
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"I liked our effort," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I liked the
way we competed. We certainly can play better, but San Antonio is a
really good team. (The Spurs) come at you in waves."
Portland hit eight of its first 12 shots from the field to jump to
an 18-10 lead. San Antonio responded with an 11-2 run to go on top
21-20. The Spurs extended it to 28-24 going into the second quarter.
Reserves helped San Antonio build the advantage to 36-28. Guard
Danny Green's 3-point shot, along with a free throw after a
technical foul on Stotts, pushed the Spurs in front 42-32. When
Duncan wheeled to the basket for a layup, San Antonio's lead was
51-39 with 2:54 remaining before halftime.
NOTES: Portland F Meyers Leonard left the game with a dislocated
left shoulder in the third quarter and did not return. ... San
Antonio F Kawhi Leonard left the game after falling hard to the
floor after a dunk early in the fourth quarter. He returned to
action a couple of minutes later. "Pretty big stud to come back
right away off that thing," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
"He didn't want to come out." ... G Gerald Henderson, acquired from
Charlotte in a trade that sent F Nicolas Batum to the Hornets, made
his debut in a Portland uniform. Henderson, who underwent hip
surgery in July, scored 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench. ...
The Spurs entered the game No. 1 in the NBA in field-goal percentage
(48.8 percent) ... It was only the Spurs' third win in their past 14
visits to Portland dating to 2008.
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