Chris Paul expelled from Spurs game against Trail Blazers

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 received his second technical with 1:03 left in the first quarter, just 11 seconds after the first.

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

“It’s just the team coming together,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said of Paul’s leadership and the team coming together after his ejection. “Those guys backed it up tonight and stepped up, and it was a great effort from a lot of different people.”

The Trail Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, but San Antonio tied the game at 109 on a Jeremy Sochan free throw before Julian Champagnie’s 3-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 fouled Victor Wembanyama, who sealed the Spurs’ victory by making two free throws with 2.1 seconds left.

Wembanyama finished with 28 points.

The Spurs came into the game with just 11 players available, before Paul’s ejection reduced them to 10. Stephon Castle, who averages 12.1 points per game, was out for the first time this season with a left shoulder contusion. .

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.