Lillard leads Portland into matchup with San Antonio

San Antonio Spurs (22-28, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (23-28, ninth in the Western Conference)

Portland; Thursday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Damian Lillard leads Portland into a matchup against San Antonio. He’s third in the league averaging 29.7 points per game.

The Trail Blazers are 14-20 in Western Conference games. Portland is the worst team in the Western Conference recording just 20 assists per game led by Lillard averaging 7.9.

The Spurs are 12-16 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio ranks third in the Western Conference shooting 36.8 percent from downtown. LaMarcus Aldridge paces the Spurs shooting 42.1 percent from 3-point range.

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Trail Blazers won 121-116 in the last matchup on Nov. 16. CJ McCollum led Portland with 32 points, and Aldridge led San Antonio with 30 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lillard is averaging 29.7 points and 4.4 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Hassan Whiteside is shooting 66.2 percent and averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games for Portland.

DeMar DeRozan is averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Spurs. Aldridge has averaged 14 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 38.4 percent over the last 10 games for San Antonio.

LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 6-4, averaging 120.3 points, 45.6 rebounds, 21.1 assists, 5.4 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.7 points on 46.3 percent shooting.

Spurs: 5-5, averaging 111 points, 40.9 rebounds, 23.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.7 points on 46.6 percent shooting.

INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (leg fracture), Skal Labissiere: out (knee), Zach Collins: out (shoulder), Rodney Hood: out for season (leg).

Spurs: None listed.