The “Group of Death” turned out to be just that for the Portland Trail Blazers .

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Blazers 115-102 Wednesday night, surviving an entertaining back-and-forth slugfest in an NBA Cup matchup at the Moda Center.

The loss prevented the Blazers (8-11) from advancing to the knockout round of the NBA Cup out of West Group C, a collection of five teams so formidable it had been dubbed the “Group of Death.”

Portland entered the night with a 2-1 record in group play, needing a victory over the Spurs to advance to the quarterfinals of the third-annual in-season tournament. But in the end, Deni Avdija’s individual brilliance and the return of Shaedon Sharpe from a four-game injury absence were not enough to lift the Blazers to the knockout round.

Instead, the Sp

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