Spurs’ Chris Paul was ejected during the first quarter vs the Blazers

San Antonio Spurs starting point guard Chris Paul was ejected with over a minute left in the first quarter of his team’s ongoing road game Friday night against the lowly Portland Trail Blazers.

The 6-footer was assessed a pair of technical fouls within a minute of each other. His second penalty resulted in an automatic expulsion.

With backup guard Tre Jones out for the night with an injury, lead point guard responsibility now falls to bench point guard Blake Wesley. As of this writing, Wesley has two points, three assists, one rebound and one block in 9:06. The Spurs lead Portland, 37-28, at the top of the second quarter.

At 10:57, the 12-time All-Star finishes his night with five points on 2-for-2 shooting from the floor (1-of-1 from long range), four assists, three rebounds and a steal. All-Defensive First Team Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leads San Antonio so far with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field (1-of-3 from deep).

Playing in his 20th NBA season (and his first with longtime playoff nemesis San Antonio), Paul is averaging 10.2 points on a .428/.352/1,000 shooting split, 8.5 assists, 4.0 boards and 1.4 steals.

Starting Portland point guard Anfernee Simons leads the Trail Blazers with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, plus three rebounds, a dime and a swipe. The Trail Blazers are shooting an abysmal 11-of-31 from the field (35.5 percent) and 3-of-15 from deep (20 percent).

Friday night marks rookie Donovan Clingan’s first game back in action after missing the last seven with a knee sprain. With Clingan on the one-minute restriction, Jabari Walker got the start from head coach Chauncey Billups. Despite veteran centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III both being shelved with their own respective ailments, backup center Duop Reath has yet to play a second. After two championship seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies, Portland selected Clingan with the No. 7 pick in June’s 2024 NBA Draft.

His college teammate, Stephon Castle, was drafted by San Antonio with the fourth pick. The 6-foot-6 20-year-old is missing Friday’s game with a shoulder injury. Across his 24 healthy contests for the 12-12 Spurs, Castle is making a case for an All-Rookie Team inclusion. He is averaging 12.1 points on a .386/.282/.738 shooting split, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals a night.

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