The Trail Blazers dropped a 112-101 decision to the Spurs on Wednesday, but the bigger picture hasn’t changed. Everything now comes down to Friday.
Deni Avdija led Portland with 27 points and Scoot Henderson added 20, though the Blazers couldn’t overcome a couple of key Spurs runs and fell to 40-40 on the season.
That sets the stage for a massive matchup against the Clippers, who sit at 41-39. That game will almost certainly determine who lands the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and the more favorable play-in position.
If Portland wins, it would pull even with Los Angeles and hold the tiebreaker, giving the Blazers control of their path entering Sunday’s regular-season finale vs. Sacramento. A win there would secure eighth.
A loss Friday, however, would drop Portland to ninth and require two play-in wins just to reach the playoffs.
In other words, the math is simple now. Win and keep control. Lose and take the long road.
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