Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Saturday, December 14, 2024: Chris Paul Greets Teammates After Ejection vs. Trail Blazers

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft and more.

Matt Guzman

Dec 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Keldon Johnson (0) against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center.
Dec 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Keldon Johnson (0) against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In this story:

SAN ANTONIO — Already shorthanded with Stephon Castle, Zach Collins, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones sidelined, the San Antonio Spurs took a trip to Portland, Ore. with hopes of securing a win without any more strife.

Unfortunately for that plan, it was short-lived. After getting in what was likely a verbal scuffle — Chris Paul wasn't overly animated or aggressive — the Spurs' 20-year point guard landed himself an ejection in the first quarter that forced acting coach Mitch Johnson to shrink his rotation even more.

The Spurs ultimately pulled out a win over the Trail Blazers despite their weakened state, and as the team made its way back to the visiting locker room at Moda Center, Paul took it upon himself to be the first to congratulate his teammates on the victory.

Next up for the Spurs is a return trip to San Antonio, where it'll await Anthony Edwards and the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of its NBA Cup make-up schedule. By then, the hope from within the Spurs' locker room is that more players will be available and less will be ejected.

Now, onto the headlines:

The News

1. READ: Devin Vassell Addresses Health, Spurs’ 1st-Half Struggles

As the San Antonio Spurs wrap up their four-day break, there remain a few items on their to-do list of improvements, which Devin Vassell, now back from injury, is well aware of.

2. WATCH: Analyzing Chris Paul's Eye-Raising Comments

What did Chris Paul mean when he admitted he can be hard to deal with?

3. READ: Sidy Cissoko Speaks on Bouncing Between Austin, San Antonio

Sidy Cissoko has been working to crack the rotation with the San Antonio Spurs since joining the league last season, and while he isn't there, yet, he's continuing to grow and develop both in Austin and San Antonio.

Today's Schedule

No game scheduled. Next up: Home vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Sunday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.)

The Full Schedule

The San Antonio Spurs played their first game of the year on Oct. 25, kicking off the second season of Victor Wembanyama's young NBA career. Now that it's through, here's a preview of some upcoming dates and times (all in CST) throughout the season to watch for:

San Antonio Spurs Regular Season Schedule

Dec. 10: NBA Cup Knockout Rounds Begin
Dec. 25: MSG Christmas at New York Knicks

Dec. 31: New Year's vs. LA Clippers

Jan. 23-25: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

Feb. 3: Rodeo Road Trip Begins at Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 14-16: All-Star Break

Feb. 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
Feb. 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest Home Stand Ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: Final Road Trip Begins at Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final Home Game vs. Toronto Raptors

Around the NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

1. Doc Rivers Offered Simple Five-Word Description of Damian Lillard's NBA Cup Takeover

2. Peculiar Stat Shows Former Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Stands Alone in NBA Cup History

3. Kyrie Irving Goes 1-on-1 With Luka Doncic in Mavs 'King of the Court' Tournament

NBA Cup

The semifinals for the NBA Cup are set, with the Bucks, Hawks, Rockets and Thunder meeting at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to settle this year's tournament. The winners of Saturday's games will meet on Tuesday for the championship.

Knockout Stage: Quarterfinals
Rockets 91, Warriors 90
Hawks 108, Knicks 100
Bucks 114, Magic 109
Thunder 118, Mavericks 104

Semifinals
Saturday's Games
Atlanta vs. Milwaukee (3:30 p.m. CT, TNT)
Houston vs. Oklahoma City (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Championship
Tuesday's Game
Atlanta/Milwaukee vs. Houston/Oklahoma City (7:30, ABC)

On This Date in Spurs History ...

December 14, 1998: Lonnie Walker IV was born on Reading, Penn.

December 14, 2019: Patty Mills scored 26 points off the bench, while LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray all scored 18 as San Antonio defeated the Suns 121-119 in Mexico City. Just as noteworthy was that it was the Spurs’ fourth straight overtime game (it won

Quote of the Day

“I was watching Timmy, Tony and Manu play when I was in middle school, high school and college. It's kind of surreal playing here and calling these guys my friends now. I used to wear Tim Duncan’s jersey when I was in school.”

- Danny Green

The Closer

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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