Mitch Johnson calls out the team with harsh reality after the loss to the Blazers

For the third team in five games from a A victory on Christmas Day that shocked the basketball worldthe San Antonio Spurs lost a game to a team with or near a losing record. A 115-110 setback to the Portland Trail Blazers dropped the Silver and Black to 25-10, which remains second in the West, although that’s not Mitch Johnson’s focus these days.

“If we continue to watch how we guarded at the beginning of the games, I think teams will continue to shoot like that. There has been enough of a pattern in the recent part of the games that I don’t think it’s extraordinary,” said the first coach of Spurs.

San Antonio trailed Portland by 11 points after the first quarter. In their last loss before the Blazers beat them, the Spurs trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers by 10 eight and a half minutes of play. Against the Utah Jazz on December 27, Johnson’s team was down 10 at halftime.

“It’s hard to say what the biggest result is,” the coach continued after their latest disappointment.

“But I think there’s a lot of takeaways from every game. And I think for us, we’re just starting the game with the right approach and putting our energy in the right places. You know, an 11-point hole in the first quarter with a lot of things you could control went down 11.”

“I thought we missed a lot of really good shots. And then you’re down 11. You’re not doing a lot of other things right if you’re 11,” Johnson reiterated.

Spurs are struggling to shake off bad starts

Earlier in the season, third quarters were a problem period for San Antonio. While they seem to have resolved the issue, they may have traded one concern for another.

“It’s tough in this league to play out of a hole. Then you add in second in back-to-backs. And they are,” Johnson said of a Trail Blazers team that beat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-109 the night before their trip to the Alamo City.

“And then you add that you’ve got a couple of guys out there. And them. So when you start putting circumstances that don’t work in your favor, you can control each other, it can make it difficult. And then if you miss some shots, now you’re in a dogfight.” Western Conference Coach of the Month for December he added.

While Victor Vembanyama is missing and starter Devin Vassell didn’t stop them either beating the Indianapolis Pacers the night beforeThe Spurs shot 32% from the three-point line and 43% from the field in their last outing.

Wembi update

“I expect him to travel to Memphis . . .”

-Mitch Johnson on the status of Wembanyama. #Spurs play in Memphis on Tuesday (Jan. 6). That’s their next game after H’s game against Porto tonight

⬇SA Coach adds that Vic “looks really good…” and “does well…”#PorVida pic.twitter.com/NmkOhvsJeI

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 4, 2026

“Definitely, hats off to them,” revealed the head coach for the Blazers. “I thought they had a better ability for those 50-50 balls, missing open rebounds, just that next level effort to finish possessions, they did a great job.”

There’s no doubt Johnson thought Portland played well enough to win. Chief among his concerns, however, is what his team must do to avoid slow starts and the results that have followed.