SAN ANTONIO -- Tim Duncan was back in charge in San Antonio, and the Spurs were flourishing under his leadership again.
Duncan was directing players on defensive assignments, encouraging them and providing needed leadership. But in the end, he couldn't provide the same late-game heroics from the bench that he long did on the court.
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Spurs 121-116 on Saturday night to spoil Duncan's first shot at coaching following Gregg Popovich's ejection.
Duncan took over just 13 games into his first season as an assistant coach.