The Portland Trail Blazers, after losing 93-80 to the Spurs on Monday, are now 4-8 this season. They're getting 25.3 ppg and 7.1 apg from Damian Lillard, 20.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg from C.J. McCollum, 12.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg from Al-Farouq Aminu, and 9.3 ppg along with 8.0 rpg from Mason Plumlee. All together as a team, it's an uphill battle this season. Here's the Oregonian reporting:

But unlike Sunday, when Nicolas Batum and the Charlotte Hornets breezed past them with ease, the Blazers' performance Monday night was hardly insulting. Their defense, which had been M.I.A. in recent games, resurfaced as the players adhered to scouting reports, stuck to core principles and, as much as anything, gave effort. The Blazers held the Spurs to a season-low 36 first-half points and just 29.8 percent shooting from the field.

But in a fitting reality for the status of their current plight, on a night the Blazers' defense was so good, their offense was equally bad. The Blazers couldn't capitalize on their solid defense, scoring just 28 first-half points — four shy of the franchise low for a half.

"We just can't get both things going on the same night," Ed Davis said.

You can't contain the high-powered Spurs for long and eventually their multitude of All-Star weapons exploded. With Kawhi Leonard mixing three-pointers with monster fast-break dunks, Danny Green hitting timely shots and Tony Parker steering the Spurs' offense with precision, San Antonio built a cushy 14-point third-quarter lead. It seemed like the Blazers (4-8) would move along to Houston, where they play Wednesday night, with barely a whimper. Instead, they showed a little spunk.