Aldridge hurt in Blazers loss to Spurs

Aldridge drove the lane and rose for a running, 6-foot jumper, but tumbled backward after having his right knee hit Aron Baynes’ side. Unable to brace himself, Aldridge took the brunt of the fall on his left hip. He remained on the court for 3 minutes, grabbing his lower back before being helped off the court by teammates. With Aldridge unable to continue, Thomas Robinson substituted and made the ensuing free throw.

Aldridge finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

With Aldridge out, fellow All-Star Lillard took over in the third. The speedy point guard scored 10 points, hitting a pair of 3s and throwing down a hard dunk while shooting 4 for 9 in the quarter. His second 3 pulled Portland within 61-55 with 5:45 left in third, but the Trail Blazers got no closer.

San Antonio was 3 for 4 on 3s to open the fourth quarter for a 79-64 lead and cruised to victory.

Since the All-Star break, the Spurs have beaten Portland twice and also defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago and Miami after struggling against the league’s elite in the first half of the season.

Even with Aldridge in the lineup, the Trail Blazers struggled.

Portland was scoreless in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter and was without a field goal for 5 minutes spanning the first and second quarters. The Trail Blazers only had two field goal attempts in that span, turning the ball over three times.

Green was 3 for 3 on 3-pointers in the first half, helping San Antonio go 6 for 10 from long range.

The final 3 came out of a timeout with 5.6 seconds left in the first half, as Parker drove the paint and passed to an open Diaw in the left corner. Diaw made the 22-footer at the buzzer ahead of a late-charging Aldridge, who shook his head as San Antonio took a 56-40 halftime lead.

NOTES: Portland G Mo Williams did not play after straining his right hip in the second quarter of the Blazers’ game Tuesday in Memphis. Williams was injured while driving around a screen for an 8-foot jumper. Williams finished with four points in 11 minutes. He is averaging nine points and 4.5 assists as the Trail Blazers’ primary sub. . Popovich yelled at official David Guthrie a minute into the game over a perceived missed call, prompting Portland coach Terry Stotts to smile and tease his counterpart. “If he’s going to start yelling now, so am I,” Stotts said. . Spurs F Austin Daye was inactive for the second straight game. . Mills received a huge ovation after sneaking in from behind and forcing a jump ball against Lillard, tossing the Portland point guard to the court after tying him up.