Deni Avdija has triple-double to power Trail Blazers past Spurs, 115-110

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Deni Avdija had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Donovan Clingan added a career-high 24 points along with 12 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 on Saturday night.

Toumani Camara had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland led for all but 18 seconds in picking up its second straight victyory.

Luke Kornet had 20 points and Julian Champagnie added 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio. The Spurs had won two straight.

The Spurs were without All-Star center Victor Wembanyama (left knee soreness) and Devin Vassell (strained left adductor). San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama remains day-to-day, but is “looking really good” and expects him to accompany the team to Memphis for a game Tuesday night.

It was the second night of back-to-back games for both teams.

Portland never trailed in the first half, building its lead to 15 points while San Antonio shot 3 for 12 on 3-pointers.

The Spurs captured their lone lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kelly Olynyk’s free throw following an off-ball foul on Champagnie’s 3-pointer gave San Antonio its first lead at 74-71 lead. That advantage lasted only 18 seconds as former Spurs forward Sidy Cissoko drained a 3-pointer.

Portland went on a 12-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters in capturing a 93-80 lead with 10:36 remaining in the game.

San Antonio rallied again, with De'Aaron Fox's steal and pass to Stephon Castle for a breakaway dunk cutting Portland's lead to 111-110 with 1:36 remaining. As they had all game, the Trail Blazers efficiently rebuilt their lead to topple the Spurs.

Fox finished with 19 points and Castle had 16.

Portand was 19 for 45 on 3-pointers, while San Antonio was 10 for 31.

Blazers: Host Utah on Monday night.

Spurs: At Memphis on Tuesday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in San Antonio, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Caleb Love, right, and center Donovan Clingan, left, react to a play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Lindy Waters III (43) and forward Harrison Barnes (40) compete with Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) and center Donovan Clingan (23) for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, left, and forward Keldon Johnson (3) chest bump during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in San Antonio, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) and Portland Trail Blazers guard Rayan Rupert, right, dive for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

You might be inclined to think of freestyle skiing as one of the new kids on the block at the Winter Olympics — after all, there are lot of young athletes doing it — but some of the freeskiiing sports were introduced at the Calgary Games some 38 years ago.

Four decades of familiarity with moguls, the halfpipe, big air and more have turned some of these daring athletes into household names and their tricks have gotten more and more creative.

The three most popular disciplines in this sport fall under the category of “freeskiing” — halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. Those are judged contests in which skiers are graded on how high they fly and the difficulty of their tricks. In moguls, skiers are scored on their form through the bumps and two jumps along with their overall speed. In aerials, which shares some similarities with big air, skiers flip and twist as soar more than 40 feet (12 meters) into the air. There's also skicross, a set of side-by-side elimination showdowns that closes with a four-person race for the medals.

Eileen Gu is the star of this sport. She grew up in San Francisco but competes for her mother's native country of China. Four years ago, she became the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics — gold in halfpipe and big air and silver in slopestyle. Canada's Mikael Kingsbury is generally viewed as the best moguls skier of all time. He had 99 World Cup wins heading into this season, along with a gold and two silver medals at the Olympics. American Alex Hall, who considers himself as much of an artist as an athlete on the slopes, looks to defend his title in slopestyle.

The venues are in Livigno, a three-hour drive northeast of Milan. Some of the key dates include big air Feb. 14-17, halfpipe Feb. 19-21 and skicross Feb. 20-21.

Halfpipe freeskiing debuted in 2014, shortly after its foremost pioneer, Sarah Burke, died in a training accident. She had lobbied to get freeskiing into the Olympics. On a magical night in Russia, Burke's parents were in the stands to watch the contest, which ended with the maintenance crew paying tribute to her by skiing down the halfpipe in the shape of a heart. In 2022, Gu capped off her third medal of the Beijing Games — a gold — with a joy-filled “victory lap” down the halfpipe after she had already secured the victory.

Slopestyle courses double as works of art; at the Olympics, it gives course builders a chance incorporate elements of their country into the Olympic playing field. In Russia, skiers had the option of jumping over a giant Russian nesting doll. In Beijing, the course was lined with a replica of the Great Wall, complete with a guard house (the “shred shed”) built as an option on the rails course. It's a secretive process, and as of now, what visual treats will line the course at Livigno Snow Park remain a mystery.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE - Olympic hopeful U.S. freestyle skier, Alex Hall, poses for a photo at Team USA Media Summit, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Gold medalist Eileen Gu Ailing of China poses during the awards ceremony for the women's halfpipe finals at FIS Freeski World Cup 2025 in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Luo Yuan/Xinhua via AP, File)

FILE - Canada's Mikael Kingsbury competes in the men's moguls at the Freestyle World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)