The San Antonio Spurs secured a 114-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, with Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 center from France, contributing 17 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks. This decisive win, achieved without the Spurs ever trailing, eliminates the Trail Blazers and propels San Antonio into the Western Conference semifinals for the first time in the ninth year since 2017.
De’Aaron Fox added 21 points for the Spurs, while Julian Champagnie scored 19, and Dylan Harper contributed 17 points to the team’s effort.
The Spurs extended their lead by as many as 28 points during the game, marking their third consecutive victory in the best-of-seven series.
San Antonio's return to the Western Conference semifinals follows a period of significant change for the franchise, which last reached this stage in 2017.
In 2017, the team defeated the Houston Rockets before losing Kawhi Leonard to an ankle injury, subsequently leading to a sweep by Golden State in the conference finals.
Leonard’s injury and his subsequent trade initiated a rapid descent in the Spurs’ fortunes, a period of futility that ultimately allowed San Antonio to draft Wembanyama, reshaping the team's core composition.
The New Composition
The 7-foot-4 center from France was a pivotal figure in closing out the series against the Blazers, demonstrating the impact of internationally sourced talent on the team's performance.
The Spurs are now set to face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the next round.
The Timberwolves currently hold a 3-2 lead in that series, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.
Portland managed to reduce the deficit to 91-82 with eight minutes remaining in the game, following an 11-0 run.
However, the Spurs effectively halted the rally, with Wembanyama notably sending Deni Avdija’s floater off the top of the backboard and into the crowd in the final minutes of play.
Avdija concluded the game with 22 points for Portland, but his shooting from 3-point distance was limited, hitting only 1 for 6 attempts.
The Trail Blazers collectively shot 23% from long range during the contest.
Portland’s Scoot Henderson scored five points in the game.
Henderson’s scoring was limited to 10 points after a skirmish with Harper in the final minute of the third quarter during San Antonio’s 120-108 win in Game 3 on Saturday, highlighting the physical nature of the series.
On-Court Dynamics
This incident was one of several skirmishes observed throughout the physical and chippy series between the second-seeded Spurs and the No. 7 seed Trail Blazers, reflecting intense on-court interactions.
Coach Mitch Johnson had emphasized that the Spurs could not afford another early double-digit deficit, a situation they had faced in the third and fourth games of the series.
San Antonio responded to this directive by initiating the game with a 17-4 lead, propelled by Julian Champagnie, who contributed eight points and a pair of 3-pointers early on.
Champagnie finished the game hitting 5 for 7 from long distance, contributing to San Antonio’s overall 40% shooting accuracy from 3-point territory.
Wembanyama commented on the team's execution, stating, “It’s never perfect, of course, but that’s exactly what we said we wanted to do before the game,” underscoring the strategic approach taken by the team's leadership.