Chris Paul greets his teammates after being sent off

On By Littum

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs, already rock solid with Stephon Castle, Zach Collins, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones on the sidelines, made a trip to Portland, Ore. with hopes of securing a victory without further strife.

Unfortunately for that plan, it was short-lived. After getting into what was likely a verbal scuffle — Chris Paul wasn’t overly animated or aggressive — the Spurs’ 20-year-old point guard landed himself a first-quarter ejection that forced acting coach Mitch Johnson to cringe its rotation even more.

The Spurs ultimately pulled out a victory over the Trail Blazers despite their weakened state, and when the team returned to the visiting locker room at the Moda Center, Paul took it upon himself to be the first to congratulate his teammates on the victory.

Next up for the Spurs is a return trip to San Antonio, where Anthony Edwards and the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves await in Game 2 of their NBA Cup makeup schedule. Before then, the hope from inside the Spurs dressing room is that more players will be available and fewer will be dropped.

Now for the headlines:

1. READ: Devin Vassell addresses health, Spurs’ 1st half struggles

As the San Antonio Spurs wrap up their four-day break, there are still a few items on their to-do list of improvements that Devin Vassell, now back from injury, is well aware of.

2. SEE: Analysis of Chris Paul’s sensational comments

What did Chris Paul mean when he admitted that he can be difficult to handle?

3. READ: Sidy Cissoko talks about bouncing between Austin, San Antonio

Sidy Cissoko has been working to crack the rotation with the San Antonio Spurs since joining the league last season, and while he isn’t there yet, he continues to grow and develop in both Austin and San Antonio.

No match scheduled. Next: Home vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Sunday, December 16, 6 p.m.)

The San Antonio Spurs played their first game of the year on October 25, kicking off the second season of Victor Wembanyama’s young NBA career. Now that it’s over, here’s a preview of some upcoming dates and times (all in CST) throughout the season to look out for:

San Antonio Spurs regular season schedule

December 10: NBA Cup Knockout rounds begin
December 25: MSG Christmas at New York Knicks

31 December: New Year vs. LA Clippers

23.-25. January: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

February 3: The Rodeo Road Trip begins at the Memphis Grizzlies

February 14-16: All-Star Break

February 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
February 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest home run ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: The final road trip begins at the Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final home game against the Toronto Raptors

Catch up on some of the league’s headlines below:

1. Doc Rivers is offered a simple five-word description of Damian Lillard’s takeover of the NBA Cup

2. Outlandish statistics show that former Lakers coach Darvin Ham stands alone in NBA Cup history

3. Kyrie Irving goes 1-on-1 with Luka Doncic in the Mavs’ ‘King of the Court’ tournament

The NBA Cup semifinals are set, with the Bucks, Hawks, Rockets and Thunder meeting at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to decide this year’s tournament. The winners of Saturday’s games will meet on Tuesday for the championship.

Knockout stage: Quarter-finals
Rockets 91, Warriors 90
Hawks 108, Knicks 100
Bucks 114, Magic 109
Thunder 118, Mavericks 104

Semifinals
Saturday’s game
Atlanta vs. Milwaukee (3:30 p.m. CT, TNT)
Houston vs. Oklahoma City (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Championship
Tuesday’s match
Atlanta/Milwaukee vs. Houston/Oklahoma City (7:30, ABC)

December 14, 1998Lonnie Walker IV was born in Reading, Penn.

14 December 2019: Patty Mills scored 26 points off the bench, while LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray all scored 18 as San Antonio defeated the Suns 121-119 in Mexico City. Equally notable was that it was the Spurs’ fourth straight overtime game (it won

“I watched Timmy, Tony and Manu play when I was in high school, high school and college. It’s kind of surreal to play here and call these guys my friends now. I used to wear Tim Duncan’s jersey when I was in school .”

– Danny Green

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