Blazers Out of NBA Cup, Announce Two New Games to Schedule

Jeremy Hanna | Dec 5, 2024

Dec 3, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker (34) moves to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Mo Bamba (4) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After their 127-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers are officially out of the Emirates NBA Cup.

While the Blazers kept thing close in the second half, they weren't able to close the gap and the Clippers out scored them by 19 points.

Los Angeles outperformed Portland in almost every stat, except for three: points in the paint, turnovers, and personal fouls. It's worth noting that two of those statistics are ones you don't want to beat the other team in.

This leaves Portland at 13th in the Eastern Conference with an 8-14 record, only beating out the Utah Jazz (4-17) and the New Orleans Pelicans (4-18).

Now, to make up for the time they won't be playing in the NBA Cup knockout rounds, the Trail Blazers have two new games on their schedule.

The first game will be a home game against the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 13.

This will mark the second game against San Antonio for Portland. The first time they met was in a 118-105 loss.

While the Blazers were able to contain Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama to only 12 points and eight rebounds, they weren't able to prevent seven other payers from scoring in the double digits.

Despite losing the game, a few Portland players managed good games. Center Deandre Ayton recorded 21 points, 10 total rebounds, two steals, and one block. Guard Anfernee Simons had 19 points, seven assists, and one steal. Finally, forward Jerami Grant had 21 points, three total rebounds, and one assist.

Portland's next new match up will be on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. PT.

The last time the Blazers faced the Suns was also a loss, albeit a much more competitive 103-97.

Portland had a tough time containing guard Devin Booker and forward Kevin Durant, who both recorded over 20 points and nine rebounds.

The Trail Blazers saw the same three players stand out as they did with the Spurs. While Ayton only had 10 points, he recorded 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Simons and Grant both had 20 points with Simons leading the team with six assists.

Needless to say, the Blazers have a tough order ahead of them with these teams. Hopefully, they'll be able to learn from their previous losses and come out on top.

More Trail Blazers: NBA Power Rankings: Where do Trail Blazers Land After Latest Losses?