"I don't want a hero," Popovich told Duncan as he walked by, the coach's words caught on tape. "I want a healthy guy."

Duncan, he of the sore knees - particularly the right one - sat down as Portland finished off the Spurs 95-83 on Wednesday.

Portland, representing the future of the NBA, snapped an 11-game losing streak in San Antonio. The Trail Blazers had last won here in November 2002.

Of more significance was that the Blazers created a three-way tie involving themselves, the Spurs and Houston for third place in the Western Conference, each at 50-28 with four games left.

Popovich has avoided using Duncan when the Spurs play on consecutive days, but Duncan, who produced 25 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes during a win at Oklahoma City on Tuesday, wanted to play against Portland.

Duncan contributed just four points and five rebounds in 24 minutes against the Blazers. By the fourth quarter, Popovich had seen enough.

"I didn't like the way he moved on a loose ball, so I pulled him," Popovich said.

The Spurs are 7-8 the past 15 games, a product of injuries, substandard defense and a shooting slump.

Manu Ginobili is gone for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg. Ginobili has missed 34 games with injuries. The Spurs are 18-16 without him.

None of the Spurs' problems were evident in the first quarter Wednesday, which they finished with a 33-16 lead after outshooting Portland 70.6 percent to 40.0. Spurs guard Roger Mason scored 11 of his team-best 18 in the period.

The Spurs led by 19 points in the second quarter, but they shot only 40 percent in that quarter, 38.9 in the third and 42.1 in the fourth.

Portland hit 65 percent in the third, 50.0 in the third and 52.6 in the fourth.

Brandon Roy, Portland's All-Star guard, scored 26 points. Budding star LaMarcus Aldridge, a former Longhorn, scored 20. Center Joel Przybilla took 17 rebounds.

The Blazers, like the Spurs, had played on Tuesday, erasing an 18-point deficit to win at Memphis.

But the Spurs are the oldest team in the NBA, Portland the second youngest.

"I think they had more energy than us," said Spurs guard Tony Parker, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half.

Aldridge, 23, scored 14 points in the third quarter, using his shooting touch on the perimeter and also maneuvering inside. "Aldridge was fantastic," Popovich said. "He did a great job."

One sign of Aldridge's emergence as a force is that the Spurs started the game using two defenders on him near the basket. He made two shots in the first half, both from the perimeter.

But in the third quarter, Aldridge broke loose for four baskets inside.

"I think in the third they had (forgotten) about me a little bit," Aldridge said. "That gave me some room to play."

mrosner@statesman.com; 445-3958