Spurs' Chris Paul Ejected During First Quarter vs Blazers

The 12-time All-Star is already done for the night.

Nov 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) keeps the ball from Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

San Antonio Spurs starting point guard Chris Paul was ejected with over a minute remaining in the first quarter of his team's ongoing Friday night road matchup against the lowly Portland Trail Blazers.

The 6-footer was assessed a pair of technical fouls within a minute of each other. His second penalty yielded an automatic ejection.

With reserve guard Tre Jones out for the night due to an injury, lead point guard responsibilities now fall to bench point guard Blake Wesley. As of this writing, Wesley has two points, three assists, a rebound and a block to his credit in 9:06 of action. The Spurs lead Portland, 37-28, at the top of the second quarter.

In 10:57 of action, the 12-time All-Star finishes his night with five points on 2-fo-2 shooting from the floor (1-of-1 from long range), four assists, three rebounds and a steal. All-Defensive First Team Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leads San Antonio so far with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field (1-of-3 from deep).

Playing in his 20th NBA season (and his first with longtime playoff nemesis San Antonio), Paul is averaging 10.2 points on .428/.352/1.000 shooting splits, 8.5 assists, 4.0 boards, and 1.4 steals.

Starting Portland point guard Anfernee Simons leads the Trail Blazers with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, plus three rebounds, a dime and a swipe. The Trail Blazers are shooting an abysmal 11-of-31 from the field (35.5 percent) and 3-of-15 from deep (20 percent).

Friday night marks rookie Donovan Clingan's first game back in action after missing the last seven with a knee sprain. With Clingan on a minutes restriction, Jabari Walker earned the start from head coach Chauncey Billups. Despite veteran centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III both being shelved with their own respective ailments, reserve center Duop Reath has yet to play a second. Following two championship seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies, Portland selected Clingan with the No. 7 pick in this past June's 2024 NBA Draft.

His college teammate, Stephon Castle, was drafted by San Antonio with the fourth pick. The 6-foot-6 20-year-old is missing Friday's game with a shoulder injury. Across his 24 healthy contests for the 12-12 Spurs, Castle is making a case for an All-Rookie Team inclusion. He's averaging 12.1 points on .386/.282/.738 shooting splits, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals a night.

More Trail Blazers: Portland's Scoot Henderson Reveals How Chauncey Billups Has Impacted His Game