SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 24 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers held off San Antonio’s furious rally to beat the Spurs 109-100 on Friday night.
Damian Lillard had 21 points and eight assists and Mo Williams added 13 points as Portland snapped San Antonio’s six-game winning streak. Matthews shot 6 for 7 on 3-pointers.
Manu Ginobili had a season-high 29 points, and Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli added 14 points each for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 13 points and Tony Parker added 12, but the two combined for just eight points in the second half of a physical and testy matchup between teams vying for the best record in the Western Conference.
Portland was controlling the contest when San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was ejected with 7:18 left in the third quarter after drawing two technical fouls during a Spurs timeout and the Trail Blazers leading 65-55.
The tirade sparked the fiery Ginobili, and jump-started the Spurs’ long-range shooting.
Ginobili scored 18 straight points to close the quarter, helping San Antonio outscore Portland 33-12 following Popovich’s ejection.
After starting the game 2 for 8 on 3s, Belinelli and Ginobili made the team’s next three attempts to pull San Antonio to 73-66 with 3:31 left in the third.
Ginobili closed the quarter by making three free throws after inducing C.J. McCollum into a foul and then driving, hitting a 3-pointer and then driving into the lane from the right side of the 3-point line to the left side of the basket and spinning in a reverse layup with his left hand that seemed to slowly trickle along the back of the rim before dropping in at the buzzer to give the Spurs a 78-77 lead entering the fourth.
Portland regained the lead at 88-87 on Aldridge’s 16-foot jumper with 6:21 remaining. After the teams exchanged leads for a few minutes, Aldridge and Matthews proved unstoppable.
Aldridge dominated the eight-time All-Defensive first-teamer Duncan, popping jumpers out of pick-and-rolls when he wasn’t powering into position and faking the Spurs’ veteran out of position. He scored eight of Portland’s 11 points late in the game, and his jumper giving Portland a 97-93 lead.
Mathews made three consecutive 3s, his final giving Portland a 105-96 lead with 1:25 remaining.
Ginobili sat for most of Portland’s run, with his only points in the final quarter came on a one-hand dunk with about 40 seconds remaining.
NOTES: Spurs F Matt Bonner left the game midway through the first quarter after suffering a nasal fracture on an elbow from Thomas Robinson. Bonner did not return and his status is unknown for Sunday’s home game against Milwaukee. … First-year assistant Jim Boylen took over as head coach when Popovich was ejected. Boylen was hired from the Indiana Pacers after San Antonio lost long-time assistants Mike Budenholzer and Brett Brown in the offseason to head coaching positions in Atlanta and Philadelphia, respectively. … Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington and relief pitchers J.P. Arencibia and Neal Cotts were in attendance along with team executives. They were in San Antonio as part of the team’s Winter Caravan to promote their upcoming season. … Kennedy told Terry Stotts, “We can’t get them all right,” after the Portland coach kept haranguing him about a foul assessed on Lopez following his block of Ginobili.
