The Portland Trail Blazers earned a spirited 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night at the Moda Center, even as their postseason hopes were officially extinguished by the Sacramento Kings ’ win over Cleveland. Spurs have been struggling with their standout star Victor Wembanyama’s absence from their roster following his season-ending deep vein thrombosis injury. As for the Blazers, their win just proved to be costly as both the teams are out from the play-in contention .
The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are out of play-in contention
Toumani Camara led the way for the Portland Trail Blazers with a double-double, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while also knocking down a clutch three-pointer late in the game to shut the door on a late San Antonio Spurs rally. However, both teams are out from the race.
The Trail Blazers, now 35-44, have been dealing with injuries across the board, with key players like Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, and Robert Williams III all sidelined. Yet coach Chauncey Billups has embraced the opportunity to develop young talent while demanding full effort from whoever takes the floor.
“I love it,” Billups said postgame. “It was a lot of fun. Just a great team win, I thought the whole way. Our role players, they never kind of stepped outside of themselves… I thought, defensively, we did a really good job.”
The Spurs kept the game competitive, fueled by Stephon Castle’s 22-point effort, and cut the Blazers’ lead to just two points late in the fourth. But Camara’s three, followed by a defensive stop and assist from Matisse Thybulle to Kris Murray for a layup, stretched Portland’s lead back to seven with under two minutes left.
“I think there’s a moment in the fourth we kind of let down a little bit,” Camara admitted. “But I think as for looking at the whole game, our aggressiveness and the way we were able to handle pressure and communicate, share the ball and play defense and make plays, I think it was a great game for us.”
Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, while Dalano Banton dropped 20 points, and Murray scored a season-high 18—all in the second half. Despite missing most of their core rotation, the Blazers looked sharp and engaged.
Though the Sacramento Kings' win mathematically eliminated Portland from the play-in race, the players and staff have refused to treat these final games as meaningless.
“Guys got up for the challenge every single game,” Billups said. “I just love how we showed up… We were scrapping our butts off understanding what was on the line.”
Even in elimination, the Blazers are showing a commitment to building a culture of effort, development, and fight—something that could pay dividends next season.
Also Read: Nikola Jokic etches his name in history in Denver Nuggets vs Indiana Pacers showdown
For the Spurs, Devin Vassell followed Castle with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Harrison Barnes and Charles Bassey added 17 each. The playoff hope for both teams has been crushed, as they were eliminated from the contention.
The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are out of play-in contention
Toumani Camara led the way for the Portland Trail Blazers with a double-double, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while also knocking down a clutch three-pointer late in the game to shut the door on a late San Antonio Spurs rally. However, both teams are out from the race.
With Sacramento's win today, the Portland Trail Blazers are no longer in contention for the #NBAPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/IhZiKKGwbc
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 7, 2025
The Trail Blazers, now 35-44, have been dealing with injuries across the board, with key players like Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, and Robert Williams III all sidelined. Yet coach Chauncey Billups has embraced the opportunity to develop young talent while demanding full effort from whoever takes the floor.
“I love it,” Billups said postgame. “It was a lot of fun. Just a great team win, I thought the whole way. Our role players, they never kind of stepped outside of themselves… I thought, defensively, we did a really good job.”
After Sacramento's win today, the San Antonio Spurs have been eliminated from #NBAPlayoffs contention. pic.twitter.com/8F4iFhnb8a
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 7, 2025
The Spurs kept the game competitive, fueled by Stephon Castle’s 22-point effort, and cut the Blazers’ lead to just two points late in the fourth. But Camara’s three, followed by a defensive stop and assist from Matisse Thybulle to Kris Murray for a layup, stretched Portland’s lead back to seven with under two minutes left.
“I think there’s a moment in the fourth we kind of let down a little bit,” Camara admitted. “But I think as for looking at the whole game, our aggressiveness and the way we were able to handle pressure and communicate, share the ball and play defense and make plays, I think it was a great game for us.”
Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, while Dalano Banton dropped 20 points, and Murray scored a season-high 18—all in the second half. Despite missing most of their core rotation, the Blazers looked sharp and engaged.
Though the Sacramento Kings' win mathematically eliminated Portland from the play-in race, the players and staff have refused to treat these final games as meaningless.
“Guys got up for the challenge every single game,” Billups said. “I just love how we showed up… We were scrapping our butts off understanding what was on the line.”
Even in elimination, the Blazers are showing a commitment to building a culture of effort, development, and fight—something that could pay dividends next season.
Also Read: Nikola Jokic etches his name in history in Denver Nuggets vs Indiana Pacers showdown
For the Spurs, Devin Vassell followed Castle with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Harrison Barnes and Charles Bassey added 17 each. The playoff hope for both teams has been crushed, as they were eliminated from the contention.
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