AUSTIN, Texas — Keita Bates-Diop had 25 points, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson added 24 points each and the San Antonio Spurs beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 129-127 on Thursday night in the first NBA game in Texas' capital city.
The Blazers, who have lost seven of eight and 16 of their past 20 games, are playing without key players like Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic, among others. With the loss, Portland retained sole possession of the fifth-best NBA draft lottery odds with the loss to the Spurs.
With two games left in the regular season, Portland is 33-47, one game clear of the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers, who have identical 34-46 records.
For the second season in a row, Portland has been prioritizing draft position over wins to finish the season. If the Blazers finish with the fifth-worst record in the league, they'd have a 42.1% chance of securing a pick in the top four draft selections and a 10.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to draft French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The Blazers finish the season this weekend with games Saturday at the Los Angeles Clippers (42-38) and at home Sunday against the Golden State Warriors (42-38).
Drew Eubanks had 23 points, nine rebounds and five blocks against his former team and Kevin Knox added 24 points to lead Portland.
The Spurs' victory ensured San Antonio (21-59) will not finish with the franchise's worst record. The Spurs finished 20-62 in 1997, the season prior to drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick.
Bates-Diop and Johnson made a triumphant return to the city that fueled their development. Teammates at times on the G League's Austin Spurs, the duo shot a combined 17 for 35 and 3 for 12 on 3-pointers to lead San Antonio to just its second win in nine games.
The Spurs are playing their final two home games at the Moody Center in Austin as part of what the franchise has deemed a regional outreach.
"I think it's a great arena," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "I said that earlier. It is really situated well. That fans are up on top of you, you can hear them, you can feel them, great venue."
San Antonio erased a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes, hitting three straight 3-pointers in taking a 123-119 lead with 3:09 remaining.
Bates-Diop, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, had 12 points in the final quarter.
"He's carving out an NBA career," Popovich said. "In the beginning, it didn't look like that, but he's worked on his skills, his confidence, his aggressiveness, everything. Really proud of him."
Tre Jones had 18 points and 10 assists for San Antonio, which is guaranteed to finish with one of the NBA's three-worst records. Zach Collins added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
While the game lacked star power, it did not lack enthusiasm.
The largest crowd ever at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas, roared in appreciation. The sellout crowd of 16,023 was its loudest when Jones hit a 3-pointer followed by consecutive 3s by Bates-Diop to give the Spurs a lead in the final three minutes.
"You kind of feel the crowd getting more and more into it after Tre hit the 3," Bates-Diop said. "Then I hit mine and you feel that moment coming so I just wanted to knock it down."
San Antonio finished 10 for 35 on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard (right calf), Nurkic (right knee) and Simons (right foot) all sat out due to soreness. Grant had a bruised left quadriceps.
Spurs: Popovich would prefer having Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell, who both missed the game, in the lineup, "but at this point of the year, with their injuries, it doesn't make any sense." ... San Antonio honored former Longhorns point guard T.J. Ford following the first quarter. Ford played nine seasons in the NBA, closing out his career in 2012 with the Spurs.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Spurs: Host Minnesota in Austin on Saturday.
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KGW Executive Digital Producer Jared Cowley contributed to this report.