Micah Nori on the Blazers’ loss to the Spurs: ‘This is not humble pie’

Micah Nori has a way of describing the Trail Blazers’ worst night of the season, and it is not the one he was offered. After San Antonio won 125-103 at Moda Center on Saturday, Nori was asked whether a loss like that could work as a slice of humble pie. He took the phrase apart in front of the room.

“I don’t know what humble pie means from the fact that we’ve played really good basketball, we were 6-2 and there’s not one person on our team that was thinking all of a sudden we’re world-beaters and all this,” Nori said. “To me, humble pie is when you’re walking around thinking that you can beat anybody, and you’re not putting the work in and just think that you’re gonna show up and win. And we have yet to do that, nor will we do that. So to me, this is not humble pie.” After a pause he added: “It’s an ass-kicking. But it’s not humble pie.”

Portland fell to 6-3. The Spurs led 64-49 at halftime, scored 45 in the third quarter and led by as many as 35. Portland won the fourth quarter 27-16.

‘The first time we got away from that’

Nori’s complaint was about identity more than the score. “We gotta make sure we compete and be who we are,” he said. “And tonight, I thought was the first time that we kind of got away from that.” He pointed to the second quarter, when the Spurs scored 42 points and went to the line 18 times. “And they’re fouls,” Nori said of the whistles that had the crowd chanting at the officials.

Deni Avdija, who led Portland with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, sat for the last 14 minutes after subbing out with 2:09 left in the third quarter. He said he spent that time thinking about the rematch, which is an NBA Cup game against San Antonio on Nov. 25. “We’re gonna meet them again,” Avdija said.

“We’re gonna meet them again” Deni Avdija after the loss to the Spurs #RipCity #RCWrapUp pic.twitter.com/ulrbY4JjvP

— Guillermo Motta (@GMottaTV) November 8, 2026

He also pointed to the schedule. Portland had finished a four-game road trip with a loss at the Lakers on Friday and landed home around 5 a.m. “That’s a little crazy coming back from LA, getting home at 5 a.m., and waking up and playing,” Avdija said. “It’s not the best, but there’s no excuses in the NBA. You’re a professional. You gotta do what you gotta do.” San Antonio was also on the second night of a back-to-back, but had won easily at Sacramento the night before.

Guarding Wembanyama with small players

Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points in 24 minutes, 9-of-13 from the field. Portland’s plan was to guard him with smaller defenders, led by Toumani Camara, keep Donovan Clingan near the rim and make Stephon Castle beat them. Nori said it brought back a bad memory, “a little PTSD,” because the Blazers tried the same thing in Game 6 of last season’s series, and Castle scored 32. This time Castle had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but San Antonio won the boards 51-38 and scored 23 second-chance points to Portland’s 11.

A career night for Yang Hansen

The one clear positive was center Yang Hansen, who played 26 minutes and finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs. Nori had said before the game that he wanted to give Hansen a real look, and he wants more of the same. “The more minutes that he can gain, the better that we will reap the benefits of for moving forward,” Nori said, adding that the team thinks highly of him. Hansen scored the final four points of the game.

Scoot Henderson added 13 points. The Blazers were also minus-10 in points off turnovers for a second straight night, and they will have to fix the fouls and the glass before the Cup rematch.