The Portland Trail Blazers are recovering after their 125-103 loss against the San Antonio Spurs, which was arguably their worst showing through nine games so far this season.

The Blazers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and did not arrive back home until 5 a.m. following their loss against the Los Angeles Lakers the night before. However, Blazers head coach Micah Nori was not wanting to hear excuses after their performance against the Spurs.

"I mean, told the guys, you know, everybody. If you want to find an excuse, you can find an excuse. But it's a big boy league. They're on a back-to-back. We're on a back-to-back. These are going to happen. We're going to have guys out. I don't care who's out. We got to make sure we compete and and be who we are," Nori said postgame.

"And tonight, I thought was the first time that we kind of got away from that. And I know that they were doing some things with their physicality that got us frustrated. And, so, I guess there's a lot that bothered me, quite honestly."

Why Micah Nori's Callout Makes Sense

At the end of the day, the Blazers have to play the schedule that's in front of them. The Spurs were also traveling into Portland on the second night of a back-to-back, but their effort was far greater than what Portland was able to present.

Sure, the Spurs were a little bit healthier and put out their normal starting lineup, but that shows the difference between where the Spurs are and where the Blazers are currently.

The Spurs set the standard for where the Blazers want to be, and the game was proof that Portland isn't quite on that level right now.

You can count the game as a scheduled loss for the Blazers, but Nori's response to the loss is exactly what fans should want to hear from the head coach. The team did not perform up to its standards, and no excuses should be made for their performance other than the fact that they just weren't playing up to par.

The Blazers have to own that and work on it as they try to regain some ground in the Western Conference that was lost over the past two nights with their back-to-back losses.

The Blazers return to the court on Tuesday when they take on the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT inside the Moda Center. Fans can watch the game on NBC or stream it on Peacock.