It wasn’t the most dominating performance by the Spurs, but it was steady and methodical. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way in his return to Portland, scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing six rebounds in 35 minutes amongst the boos that rained down on him from fans every time touched the ball. Kawhi Leonard was equally as effective, recording 20 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes of his own. Many Ginobili put in his best performance of the season, coming off the bench to score 14 points and play some crucial defense down the stretch.
For the Trail Blazers, they were once again led by their dynamic backcourt pairing of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who combined to score 43 points, but shot just 16-for-40 from the field. Lillard added nine assists and six rebounds of his own. Beyond those two, no Trail Blazers put in very impressive performances. However, Gerald Henderson looked healthy for the first time since having hip surgery in July, scoring 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting in just 18 minutes off the bench.
Up next, the Spurs will head home Saturday to take on the 76ers, while the Trail Blazers will travel to Memphis Friday to play the Grizzlies.
