Chris Paul opted out of the Spurs’ game at the Trail Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — San Antonio veteran guard Chris Paul was ejected from the Spurs’ game in Portland on Friday night after picking up his second technical foul.

Paul left the game when he took his second technical with 1:03 left in the first quarter, just 11 seconds after his first.

Paul, who averaged 10.2 points per game and 8.5 assists, had five points, four rebounds and four assists when he was ejected. The Spurs defeated the Blazers 118-116.

“It’s just the cohesion of the team,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said of Paul’s leadership and the cohesion of the team after he was ejected. “Those guys got behind him tonight and stepped up, and it was a tremendous effort from a lot of different people.”

The Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the final period, but San Antonio tied the game at 109 on a free throw from Jeremy Sochan before Julian Champagnie’s three-pointer gave the Spurs the lead with 2:08 left. Jerami Grant made a layup to tie the game at 116 with 6.1 seconds left, but he fouled Victor Wembanyama, who sealed the Spurs’ win with two free throws with 2.1 seconds left.

Wembanyama finished with 28 points.

Spurs went into the game with just 11 players available before Paul’s sending off reduced them to just 10. Stephon Castle, who averaged 12.1 points, was sidelined for the first time this season with a bruised left shoulder.

Also unavailable were Zach Collins (bruised lower back), Keldon Johnson (left calf strain) and Tre Jones (sprained left shoulder).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.