Where to begin in Mexico City?
The Spurs arrived in Mexico City on Thursday with plenty to work on after their three-game winning streak ended with, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be mixing business with pleasure during their three-day stay. “I played a preseason in India, but I’ve never done the Mexico one,” said forward Doug McDermott, referring to a 2019 exhibition game in Mumbai while he was with Indiana.
The game will mark the Spurs’ sixth in Mexico City and the first since they beat Phoenix 121-119 on Dec. 14, 2019, in their record-setting fourth consecutive overtime game. Patty Mills won it with a jumper from the free-throw line with 0.3 seconds left. The injury-depleted Spurs kept it close much of the game, but a slow start doomed them to their 17th loss in 20 games against West teams as they plummeted back to the bottom of the conference standings.
But it wasn’t just the lackluster beginning that hurt the Spurs. Injuries also played a role as Portland took advantage of a frontcourt lacking backup center Zach Collins after he joined starter Jakob Poeltl on the injured list. Reserve guard Romeo Langford also was sidelined.