[Video] Caleb Swanigan Excited For Rematch with Spurs

Having eliminated the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors from the Las Vegas Summer League tournament on Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers will face the San Antonio Spurs in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The two teams met once before, in preliminary play, with the Spurs coming out on top 99-85. Trail Blazers forward Caleb Swanigan feels that his squad can win this time, with some minor adjustments.

Key quotes:

“We play the Spurs again. We’re excited for that. We felt like we should have won the last game we played them. Another opportunity against them is going to be fun.”

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Was there anything you can take with you from the last time you played them that you’re going to maybe put into play this time around?

“Just run them off the line more. Last game, they got into a rhythm early and once they got into a rhythm, it was tough to fight all the way back. But making sure we’re coming off early against them.”

Through five games in Las Vegas, Swanigan has averaged 14.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game—second only to Minnesota Timberwolves center Matt Costello on the boards. In the absence of teammate Zach Collins (quad), Swanigan has anchored Portland’s frontcourt with help from forward Jarnell Stokes.

The Trail Blazers have one day to rest and recover before their rematch with the Spurs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. You can catch the game on ESPN 2.