PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers have had a challenging start to the season, with six rotation players, including two starters, missing games due to injuries.

But Blazers fans have something fun to watch Wednesday night: an early season game with stakes, thanks to Portland's strong performance so far in NBA Cup play.

If the Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs — another injury-ravaged team — Portland will advance to the knockout stage out of Group C, which many pundits labeled the "Group of Death." The group includes the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Spurs and Blazers.

Most analysts didn't give Portland much of a chance of advancing out of group play against that lineup of Western Conference contenders. Before NBA Cup play began, Bill Simmons of Th

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