Spurs Win with Threes and Stops Down The Stretch vs. Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers led by nine late in the fourth quarter, but the San Antonio Spurs found a way to win.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 7, 2023

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are happy after a come-from-behind victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

Despite trailing by nine points with 5:26 left to go, the Spurs were able to claw back in the game with three consecutive three-pointers, including two from Keita Bates-Diop.

“You can kind of feel the crowd get more and more into it after Tre [Jones] made the three and then I hit mine," Bates-Diop said. "You could kind of feel that moment coming, so I just wanted to knock it down to regain the energy. We needed it as a team."

A 13-0 run gave the Spurs the lead for good, and while the offense was necessary, the defense solidified the victory.

“We had to get stops," Keldon Johnson said. "We knew that throughout the game, we weren’t playing to our standards. We just locked in, just counted on everybody in the huddle, just really had to lock in as a group, got stops. Just made some great plays.”

The effort on both ends of the floor impressed coach Gregg Popovich and confirmed the team's formula to win basketball games.

“Made threes, made stops, followed them up with threes. That’s how you win basketball games," Popovich said. "No matter how you slice it, fourth quarter down the stretch, teams that make stops do pretty well and if you make threes on top of it, you're probably going to win."

The Spurs are back in Austin tomorrow to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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Published Apr 7, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.