NBA Game Preview - Portland at San Antonio

Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:30 PM EDT

The San Antonio Spurs will look to wrap up a season-opening three-game homestand with another win when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

San Antonio heads into Monday's battle with two wins in two starts, the latest a 124-122 victory over Washington on Saturday. That win was finalized by a layup from DeMar DeRozan with 5.5 seconds to play and a Derrick White block of a driving layup attempt by the Wizards' Bradley Beal on the game's final possession.

DeRozan scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, when he made 5 of 6 shots.

"I love the moments," DeRozan told reporters when asked about his fourth quarter. "I don't think about mistakes. I don't think about previous 3-pointers or mistakes. It's a different type of game in the last five or six minutes. When the game is close, you have to think that way."

"I tell him all the time, I need you to take over at all times, not just when we really, really need it," San Antonio point guard Dejounte Murray said of DeRozan. "But he did his thing (Saturday). None of us were shocked or surprised. That's DeMar for you."

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with a game-high 27 points and added nine rebounds in the win over Washington, while Murray hit for 19 points and grabbed 10 boards.

Bryn Forbes and White rounded out San Antonio's double-figure scoring against the Wizards with 16 and 10 points, respectively, as the Spurs recorded their 20th straight home victory over Washington.

The Trail Blazers head to San Antonio after winning at Dallas 121-119 on Sunday. Damian Lillard's layup with 26 seconds to play gave Portland the lead, and his block on a putback attempt by Dorian Finney-Smith with 10 seconds left cemented the win for Portland.

CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 35 points in the victory -- the Blazers' second in three games to start the season. Lillard scored 28, Rodney Hood added 20, Kent Bazemore had 11 points and Zach Collins hit for 10 points for Portland. Hassan Whiteside pulled down 14 rebounds.

Portland needed to find a defensive stopper in the offseason to complement its offensive firepower and Bazemore, who was acquired from Atlanta in a trade for Evan Turner, has stepped into those shoes in the early going.

Long and athletic at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Bazemore has shown a desire for harassing opponents and might be the Trail Blazers' most disruptive defensive force in recent years.

"I wake up to play great defense, fly around, and just make it tough on the other team," Bazemore told The Oregonian before Sunday's game in Dallas. "That's why I play the game."

In the season-opening loss against Denver, Bazemore recorded five steals, and then two nights later in a win at Sacramento, he blocked two shots and grabbed eight rebounds.

"I found if I wanted to stick around in this league, I had to be different," Bazemore added. "I don't really have the offensive skillset to be elite, but defensively, I can really help. I knew if that became what I was known for, I could stay around for a long time. You need those stoppers."

San Antonio and Portland split their four games last season, with each team winning twice and marking the third time in the last six seasons the season series finished tied. The Spurs lead the all-time series, but just 86-84.

--Field Level Media