Playing before a record, sellout crowd of 16,023, the Spurs defeated the Blazers in an atmosphere that delighted club CEO R.C. Buford, coach Gregg Popovich and the players.
The San Antonio Spurs Hype Squad dances for cheering fans after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 129-127 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 6, 2023.AUSTIN – A day after coach Gregg Popovich said the Spurs intend to play games in Austin annually, the franchise's top executive responded with equivocation when asked about the club's plans.
Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 16,023, a record for the nearly one-year-old, $375 million arena, the Spurs overcame a nine-point deficit late in the fourth quarter after sinking three consecutive 3-point baskets, including two in a row by Keita Bates-Diop after Tre Jones drained one just before the shot clock expired.
“It’s a great arena, really situated well,” Popovich said. “The fans are up on top of you, you can hear them, you can feel them. Great venue.” In a news conference Wednesday shortly after the Spurs arrived in Austin, Popovich said the franchise's goal of expanding its “territory” hinged on making the “effort to be seen and to get up here and play some games.”
Although Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt and Buford have said repeatedly the club has no plans to move from San Antonio, the games in Austin, coupled with Austin billionaire Michael Dell buying a 10 percent stake of the team in 2021, have raised fears in some corners that Bexar County could eventually lose the team.
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