{"id":630146,"date":"2026-04-25T14:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T14:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/630146\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T14:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T14:45:22","slug":"portland-trail-blazers-lose-120-108-in-playoff-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/630146\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland Trail Blazers lose 120-108 in playoff homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara autographs young fans\u2019 items before the third game in their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 24, 2026. After losing, the Blazers now trail one game to two in the series.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

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Trail Blazers fans stream in before the game.<\/p>\n

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Trail Blazers dancers talk before kicking off the third game.<\/p>\n

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Fans watch the pre-game show before the third game.<\/p>\n

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Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe shoots the ball.<\/p>\n

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Trail Blazers fans erupt in cheers during a close first quarter.<\/p>\n

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Fans hold cold Rip City branded beers before the game.<\/p>\n

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From left, Trail Blazers fans Cameron Davis, Mike Follet and Mac Rogers attempt shots on an inflatable hoop outside the stadium before the game.<\/p>\n

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Portland Trail Blazers center-forward Rober Williams III dunks on San Antonio Spurs defender Julian Champagnie.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGo Blazers\u201d is written on Erik Rubino\u2019s face as he cheers during the game.<\/p>\n

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday dribbles as San Antonio Spurs guard De\u2019Aaron Fox defends.<\/p>\n

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A fan sports a Damian Lillard jersey as he walks to the main concourse.<\/p>\n

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Lester and Betty Cooke, who\u2019ve been married for 48 years and have held Trail Blazers season tickets for 17 years, pose for a portrait before the game.<\/p>\n

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San Antonio Spurs defenders Keldon Johnson, left, and Carter Bryant defend Portland Trail Blazers guard Deni Avdija as he attempts to shoot.<\/p>\n

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Dejected fans sit before leaving the stadium after the Trail Blazers’ third game loss.<\/p>\n

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\uf054<\/p>\n

After a turbulent season, the Portland Trail Blazers returned to an electrified Moda Center Friday night, taking on the San Antonio Spurs in their first home playoff game in five years. <\/p>\n

But it was a difficult homecoming, as the team gave up a 15-point second half lead and couldn\u2019t keep up with a fourth quarter surge by the Spurs and lost 120-108. The win puts the Spurs up 2-1 in the best of seven game series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel bad that we couldn\u2019t bring a W,\u201d Interim Head Coach Tiago Splitter told reporters after the game. \u201cThe fans were amazing. They brought the energy. They were there with us.\u201d <\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s game was packed with more than 20,000 chanting people who were thrilled to see the Blazers back in Portland in the postseason. As they poured through the doors Friday night, few said they expected to see this young squad make it into the playoffs, let alone have a chance at beating a team that ended its regular season ranked second in the Western Conference. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s what makes it all the more beautiful,\u201d fan Chris Magana said. \u201cI don\u2019t think many people expected us to be here, including myself. So every game is special.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Blazers came into Friday\u2019s game with momentum. They beat the Spurs 106-103 in San Antonio on Tuesday night. The victory came after Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4-inch French phenom and unanimous NBA defensive player of the year, lost his balance, crashed to the floor and suffered a concussion. Wembanyama traveled to Portland but remained on the bench Friday night. <\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs defenders Keldon Johnson, left, and Carter Bryant defend Portland Trail Blazers guard Deni Avdija as he attempts to shoot during the third game in the Blazers\u2019 first round playoff series against the Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 24, 2026. After losing, the Blazers now trail one game to two in the series.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

The Blazers came out strong in the first quarter. A series of threes from Scoot Henderson and then two alley-oops from Robert Williams III helped Portland to an early lead. They briefly fell behind the Spurs in the second quarter but rallied, ending the half six points ahead. <\/p>\n

They returned from halftime and quickly extended their lead to as many as 15 points, helped along by Jrue Holiday, who led the Blazers with 29 points. The Spurs fought back, winning the battle off the glass and pulling ahead just as the third quarter ended. <\/p>\n

The teams traded leads at the top of the fourth, but as the quarter progressed the young Blazers struggled to maintain their composure, repeatedly missing three-point shots. In the end, the Spurs dominated the final period, carried by a 33-point performance from Stephon Castle<\/a> and 27 points from rookie Dylan Harper. Some Portland fans walked out before the game ended. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not efficient,\u201d Splitter said. \u201cNot our best night.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday dribbles as San Antonio Spurs guard De\u2019Aaron Fox defends during the third game in the Blazers\u2019 first round playoff series against the Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 24, 2026. After losing, the Blazers now trail one game to two in the series.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s game comes at a pivotal moment for the franchise, which was recently sold to a new ownership group led by the Texas billionaire, Tom Dundon. <\/a>This followed months of jockeying over the team\u2019s future in the Moda Center, which the Oregon Legislature is dedicating $365 million to renovate. <\/a><\/p>\n

The team said it still needs hundreds of millions more to replace the Moda Center. Venture capitalist Sheel Tyle, who is part of the group that bought the team, previously dismissed the notion that they intended to move the team out of the Rose City. Fans, of course, are adamant that losing the Blazers would mean losing a key part of Portland\u2019s identity. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnless you\u2019re living under a rock, everyone knows Rip City (is) synonymous with Portland,\u201d said fan Sherletha Perron. \u201cIt\u2019s not just an NBA basketball team. It\u2019s a culture. And that cannot be anywhere else.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Trail<\/p>\n

Trail Blazers erupt in cheers during a close first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in the third game of the first round playoff at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on April 24, 2026. After losing, the Blazers now trail one game to two in the series.<\/p>\n

Eli Imadali \/ OPB<\/p>\n

This week, Dundon faced an icy reception from some fans who were concerned about his frugality. Among other things, the team did not provide fans with customary free playoff T-shirts for the game. On Friday, some fans wondered what that could mean for how the team will be managed moving forward. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt just seems like a lot of distractions at this time of year,\u201d fan Rich Vigorito said. \u201cLike all the cheapness and all the stories you read on the internet. Pump the brakes on all the change and let\u2019s get through the year and see how things go.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Blazers\u2019 playoff push would have been hard to see at the beginning of the season. Following the team\u2019s first game, the FBI arrested head coach Chauncey Billups<\/a> on charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an illegal poker ring. <\/p>\n

Billups, who the league placed on indefinite suspension, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Splitter, who was assistant coach, took over the interim head coaching job. <\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – Chauncey Billups leaving the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore. on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. <\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Although many of the team\u2019s best players suffered long-term injuries, the team still managed to win more than 40 games for the first time in five seasons. Despite the whirlwind year, many fans remain hopeful for their team\u2019s future. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven when they suck, we\u2019re here,\u201d said fan Windy Seto. \u201cWe have a young team. I think we have a lot of development we can do. We could be really competitive if the resources are there and we keep the support behind the team. I\u2019m optimistic \u2014 if the owner gets their mind right.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Blazers will return to the Moda Center for their next matchup with the Spurs at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara autographs young fans\u2019 items before the third game in their first round…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,305293,85],"class_list":["post-630146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-portland-trail-blazers-trail-blazers-portland-nba-basketball-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}