San Antonio Spurs starting point guard Chris Paul was sent off with more than a minute left in the first quarter of his team’s road game Friday night against the weak Portland Trail Blazers.

The 1.80 meter tall player was awarded two technical fouls within a minute. His second penalty resulted in an automatic sending off.

With reserve guard Tre Jones out overnight with an injury, the lead point guard responsibility now falls to backup point guard Blake Wesley. As of this writing, Wesley has two points, three assists, one rebound and one block in 9:06 minutes. The Spurs lead Portland 37-28 early in the second quarter.

In 10:57 minutes, the 12-time All-Star finished his night with five points on 2-2 shooting from the floor (1-1 from distance), four assists, three rebounds and a steal. All-Defensive First Team Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has led San Antonio so far with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from distance (1-of-3 from beyond the arc).

Playing in his 20th NBA season (and his first with longtime playoff nemesis San Antonio), Paul is averaging 10.2 points on .428/.352/1,000 shooting splits, 8.5 assists, 4.0 boards and 1.4 steals.

Portland point guard Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers with eight points on 2 of 5 shooting from the field and 4 of 4 shooting from the charity stripe, along with three rebounds, a dime and a swipe. The Trail Blazers shot a miserable 11 of 31 from the field (35.5 percent) and 3 of 15 from distance (20 percent).

Friday night sees rookie Donovan Clingan return to action for the first time after missing the last seven with a knee sprain. With Clingan on a minutes restriction, Jabari Walker earned the starting nod from head coach Chauncey Billups. Although experienced center players Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III have to take a break due to their respective ailments, reserve center Duop Reath still has to make a second appearance. After two championship seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies, Portland selected Clingan with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft last June.

His college teammate Stephon Castle was drafted by San Antonio with the fourth pick. The 1.90 meter tall 20-year-old will miss Friday’s game due to a shoulder injury. In his 24 successful games for the 12-12 Spurs, Castle made a case for inclusion on an All-Rookie team. He is averaging 12.1 points on .386/.282/.738 shooting percentages, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals per night.

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