As Deni Avdija pondered his late-game free throw misses, his teammates’ ice-cold long-range shooting and the Portland Trail Blazers ’ shaky rebounding and turnover-prone offense, he was soothed by a surprising thought.

It’s all part of the process.

The Blazers squandered a chance to reach the knockout round of the NBA Cup, falling 112-105 to the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night at the Moda Center.

But the way Avdija sees it, this young and growing team gained more in defeat than perhaps it ever could have in victory.

“I feel like it was kind of like a first taste of a playoff game,” Avdija said. “I know I’m not experienced. A lot of the guys are not experienced yet. And I feel like it was a good test for us … I think it was a disappointing loss, but it was a good loss for us to

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