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PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Steve Smith still has a good jump shot and a good memory. Smith victimized his former team with 36 points and powered a 3-point barrage as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 106-90. "He gave you guys a show and he gave us a great effort," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's got a good memory." "You always want to play well when you come back and I got a chance to play well, so I'm happy," said Smith, who fell five points shy of his career high. Smith, 32, spent two years in Portland. Last season, he lost his starting job to the younger Bonzi Wells, reclaiming it only when Wells went down with a torn ACL. During the offseason, Smith asked management for an extension on his contract, which had two years and $19 million remaining. Trail Blazers president Bob Whitsitt refused and Smith demanded a trade. The Blazers obliged, sending Smith to San Antonio for shooting guard Derek Anderson, a younger, more athletic player. However, Anderson sat out with a sprained right ankle and Smith showed Portland he can still play a bit. After receiving a nice ovation from the crowd off 19,980 at the Rose Garden, Smith made 13-of-19 shots, including an astounding 8-of-8 from the arc, tying an NBA record. "I didn't get that many shots when I was here, either," Smith said. Smith tied the mark for most 3-pointers without a miss set by Utah's Jeff Hornacek vs. Seattle on November 23, 1994 and tied by Indiana's Sam Perkins vs. Seattle on January 15, 1997. "That Steve Smith guy came back and went 8-for-8 on us," Wells said. "Steve was a great player when he was here. He's a veteran. He told us before the game, 'I'm going to be very aggressive.'" "He was locked in and motivated and had an amazing game," added Blazers guard Steve Kerr, who also was involved in the trade. Tim Duncan had 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, who hit 14-of-25 3-pointers and beat the Blazers for the fourth straight time. Wells scored 30 points and Rasheed Wallace added 21 for the Blazers, who got off to a slow start for the third time in as many games. "We came out flat," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Sometimes when you spend so much energy to get back in the game you can't get over the hump." Smith scored 14 points in the first quarter as he outscored the Blazers and helped the Spurs bolt to a 29-13 lead. He had nine more in the second period and uncharacteristically was hit with a technical foul in the final minute of the first half for taunting Portland's bench after making a jumper. "That's just Steve," Wells said. "When he gets on a roll like that, he gets to yelling and whooping. That's just Steve letting you know to get him the ball next time. He just wanted to let Whitsitt and all those guys (know) what they traded. I guess he showed them a little bit." "He probably wishes that he hadn't done that now," Popovich said. "That's not really his character." Smith's jumper gave the Spurs their largest lead at 56-33 with 43 seconds left in the first half. Wells scored 20 points in the third quarter, when the Blazers cut the deficit to five points. A layup by Wells made it 63-58 with five minutes to play before Smith scored four points in an 11-4 surge. His 3-pointer made it 81-72 before Wells answered with a 3-pointer just before the end of the period. A layup by Shawn Kemp made it 83-79 with 9:53 left before rookie Tony Parker's 3-pointer started a clinching 10-2 surge. A layup by Duncan extended the lead to 93-81 with 7:41 remaining and the Blazers got no closer than nine points thereafter.
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