AUSTIN, Texas – With the goal of expanding their fan base, the San Antonio Spurs arrived in Austin on Wednesday afternoon eager to play back-to-back games at the Moody Center.
“I’m extremely excited,” guard Tre Jones said. “You know, it’s a different city, but obviously Austin is close to home and we’re really to get going here. There’s a lot of energy around this and it’s a good little mix up to the end of the year for us, especially the season that we are having.”
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The Spurs will play the first-ever regular season NBA game in Austin on Thursday night when they host the Portland Trailblazers.
“It’s always fun to switch it up,” forward Zach Collins told the media. “You know, being in the league, it’s gone by so fast. Being in the league for six years now, you get to the same arenas all the time. So, any time you can switch it up its fun. We’ve done that in Mexico city. We did that at the Alamodome this year, so we’ve been to a lot of places, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
The Spurs are celebrating their 50th anniversary season, which is part of the reason why they are playing two games in Austin. It’s an experience they will never forget.
“I’ve never flown into Austin before,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. “So, I’m on the plane, I’m looking around, and it’s like you’re in a different country. You’re in a different place, just kind of fun to have something different in your life.”
The Spurs brought their home floor and first two rows of seats along with them from the AT&T Center, so the Moody Center feels a little more like home for San Antonio.
San Antonio will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at the Moody Center.