Pöltl scored more than 30 points for the first time in a game in the world’s strongest basketball league. He converted 14 of 17 two-pointers and had three hits in five attempts from the free throw line. The home NBA pioneer in Portland surpassed his previous record (28 points with the Washington Wizards on February 25 of this year, note) with the goal to 100:98.
Topscorer Pöltl
He cracked the “30” a little later when he gave his team a 106:100 lead. The Texans still eluded victory because they only scored four points in the last 6:50 minutes of the game. In addition to top scorer Pöltl, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson were the strongest offensive players on the San Antonio side with 21 and 20 points respectively. For the Trail Blazers, the 117:110 meant their tenth win of the season.
The Spurs continue their trip to the US West Coast on Thursday with the Sacramento Kings. The team from the Californian capital played offensively on Tuesday and inflicted a 153-121 defeat on the Brooklyn Nets. Led by Terence Davis with 31 points, seven Kings players scored in double digits.
“Good Rhythm”
Pöltl says after the game: “I got into the zone quite well, I also got some nice passes in the pick-and-rolls and thus had a good rhythm.” Despite the defeat, the Viennese was quite satisfied with the game: “Unfortunately we gave it up towards the end. We gave them too much momentum throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter with turnovers and they took full advantage of that.”
