SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Playoff basketball brought the drama on the court and a bit of playful chaos in the stands, as San Antonio Spurs fans found a new target of good-natured trolling: Portland Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija\u2019s chipped tooth.<\/p>\n
Before and during Tuesday night\u2019s Game 5 at Frost Bank Center, the Spurs Jackals leaned into Avdija\u2019s chipped tooth by waving around small tooth props and turning it into an unexpected in-arena joke. (In case you missed it, Avdija chipped a tooth in Game 3 during a collision with De\u2019Aaron Fox.)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Spurs Jackals showing love to Deni,\u201d the Jackals said in an Instagram caption.<\/p>\n
Avdija, for his part, didn\u2019t bite on the distraction, continuing to play through the noise while focusing on the action.<\/p>\n
The Spurs Jackals are a group of superfans that launched this season with support from Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. The group\u2019s approach is inspired by global soccer-style supporter culture, particularly in Europe, where coordinated chanting and singing throughout matches is common.<\/p>\n
As for the Spurs, they beat the Trail Blazers 114-95 on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
San Antonio advances to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017, when they defeated the Houston Rockets before losing Kawhi Leonard to an ankle injury and then getting swept by Golden State in the conference finals.<\/p>\n
The Spurs will face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.<\/p>\n