Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers

After back-to-back road losses at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets the Spurs head back to the Frost Bank Center in hopes of returning to winning ways against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers . San Antonio will be on the second night of a back-to-back after their wire-to-wire blowout loss to the Rockets on Tuesday night. Their lack of offensive production without Devin Vassell and their inability to stop their I-10 rivals on the perimeter without an injured Jeremy Sochan were glaring and something the Spurs will need to fix quick if they don't want to fall further down the standings in a stacked Western Conference. While we know Sochan will be out for the foreseeable future, Vassell did post an ominous story on his instagram account late Tuesday night with the caption "So closeeeeee ⌛", hinting that he is all but set to return from his offseason surgery at any moment. Will the Blazers game be too soon? That's something we won't know until closer to tip-off time but Devin's return would be welcomed news for a currently floundering offense.

San Antonio Spurs hosting Portland Trail Blazers November 7th, 2024 | 7:00 CTSpurs Injuries: Devin Vassell - Questionable (Foot) Tre Jones - Questionable (Ankle) Jeremy Sochan - Out (Thumb)

Blazers Injuries: Shaedon Sharpe - Questionable

What to watch for: Top-3 Picks from 2023 go to battle It's been two different stories for the two highest profile prospects of the 2023 NBA Draft since both Victor Wembanyama and Scott Henderson have entered the big time. Wemby in his rookie season went on to win ROTY along with finishing second in DPOY and ending up with one of if not the most impressive rookie season of all time. While for the former G-League Ignite Guard Scoot Henderson has struggled to adjust and is still looking to find his footing in the NBA. In his rookie season, Scoot struggled with consistency, injuries and his shot as his role on a young Blazers team changed drastically as Portland tried to find the best way to unleash the former 5 star prospect. Henderson came into the NBA as this uber-athletic, Russell Westbrook-ish type guard who had playmaking chops and could be a disruptive presence on the defensive end. Unfortunately, even with his ability to beat his man off the dribble he has struggled immensely finishing at the rim so far in his young career. Turnover issues as well as floundering to adjust on the defensive end has also stifled the development of the still only 20-year-old guard. It feels like a long time since some national media heads had Scoot Henderson as the #1 prospect in the 2023 NBA draft class.

UCONN Reunion From the 2023 NBA Draft to the 2024 draft class where two former National Championship teammates will go head-to-head for the first time in their NBA careers. Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan were two Top-8 picks from this past NBA draft and will face off tonight for the first time since they cut down the nets in Glendale back in early April after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers for UCONN 's second consecutive National Championship. Now in the NBA, both Castle and Clingan will be desperate to prove their worth as they look to break into bigger roles with their respective teams. The two players, both known for their defense, have starred early on in their rookie season's on that side of the ball as their respective offensive game's continue to develop.

For the Blazers' fans' perspective, visit The Blazer's Edge .