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Spurs aim for ninth straight victory

Mar 6, 2007 - 4:59 PM San Antonio (42-18) at Portland (25-35) 10:00 pm EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) - The San Antonio Spurs probably are not going to get the top seed in the Western Conference. But if they keep rolling, they have a shot at the second seed.

The Spurs try to extend their season-high nine-game winning streak when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

San Antonio has not won 10 straight games since winning 11 in a row at the end of the 2003-04 season.

The Spurs are 8 1/2 games behind league-leading Dallas. They have a chance to catch Phoenix, which they trail by four games in the race for the second seed.

San Antonio has been stingy defensively during its winning streak, surrendering an average of 80.3 points. It has surrendered just 74 points to each of its last three opponents, including Monday's 88-74 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Spurs allowed the Clippers to shoot just 38 percent (30-of-80) from the floor. Manu Ginobili scored 16 points and Tim Duncan grabbed 12 rebounds for San Antonio, which again played without All-Star point guard Tony Parker (hip flexor).

Portland has lost three of its last four contests and is four games behind the Clippers for the West's final playoff berth. It has not made the playoffs since 2003.

The Trail Blazers lost, 104-96, to Seattle on Saturday. Zach Randolph, who is averaging a career-high 23.7 points and 10.1 rebounds, scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Spurs have won seven straight in the series, including two this season.