Victor Wembanyama posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks as the Spurs erased a 17-point deficit to beat Portland 114-93 and grab a 3-1 series lead.
Victor Wembanyama had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks, De'Aaron Fox added 28 points and 7 assists, and the San Antonio Spurs erased a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-93 on Sunday at Moda Center.
The Spurs lead the first-round series 3-1.
San Antonio trailed 58-41 at halftime after Portland won the second quarter 33-18. The Spurs opened the second half on a run that wiped out the deficit, outscoring the Trail Blazers 33-16 in the third to draw even at 74. San Antonio then outscored Portland 40-19 in the fourth.
"Where it started, we took good shots, they just didn't go in," Fox said on ESPN's Inside the NBA. "That's where it started for us. Then we just rode that momentum. In the first half, we turned the ball over, didn't take good shots, and they got out in transition. I think that was the most points they scored in a half this series. So, no wonder they were up."
Stephon Castle scored 16 points with 8 assists, Devin Vassell finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Keldon Johnson added 9 points off the bench. San Antonio shot 49.4% from the field, went 14-of-33 from 3-point range, and held Portland to 40.0% shooting and 32.3% from 3.
Fox was 11-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, with 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 38 minutes.
"We needed to get back to the way that we're used to playing," Fox said. "That's all it was. It wasn't about missing shots or anything like that, those are natural things in basketball. We just weren't playing the right way."
"It was black and white. We knew what we needed to fix," Fox explained. "In the third quarter, we came out and in the first five minutes we passed the ball, got good shots, and kept them out of the paint. That's what turned the game around. Even if we weren't making shots, so be it, that happens, but we weren't playing the right way in the first half."
Wembanyama went 9-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line, also recording 4 steals and 3 assists in 34 minutes. After the game, he voiced displeasure with some elements of the protocol to ESPN's Malika Andrews, emphasizing that he felt healthy after one day of dealing with the concussion.
"The Spurs have done an amazing job," Wembanyama said. "I’m very unhappy about the way the protocol has been handled by other parties. But my staff has been amazing. I’ve been really healthy starting on day one after injury. The injury was weird though, it was funny."
It was the first road playoff game of Wembanyama's career. It was a moment he anticipated and rose to the occasion despite the admitted emotions.
"That’s special. Obviously, I had lots of emotions in me before the game," Wembanyama said. "Obviously excitement, frustration, so I laid a lot out tonight."
Fox said Wembanyama's presence reshapes what the rest of the roster has to do on a given night.
"When he's in, he does so much for us, you feel that," Fox said. "He protects the rim, shoots threes, catches lobs. When he's out, you're not replacing that with one player. So we all feel like we have to do more."
Deni Avdija led Portland with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists but committed 6 turnovers. Jrue Holiday added 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists with 6 turnovers of his own. Jerami Grant scored 17 off the bench, and Shaedon Sharpe had 8 points in 13 minutes.
Scoot Henderson went scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting with 2 assists in 27 minutes. Donovan Clingan finished with 5 points and 6 rebounds, going 2-of-10 from the field in 14 minutes.
The Trail Blazers committed 18 turnovers that San Antonio converted into 29 points.
Damian Lillard was inactive for Portland because of injury management for his left Achilles tendon.
Castle and Avdija were assessed matching technical fouls with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter.
Fox said the Spurs leaned on a regular-season tune-up against Golden State to ready their younger players for postseason physicality.
"We played Golden State right before the All-Star break, and they came out super physical. The refs weren't calling much," Fox said. "In the huddle, we told the guys, 'This is what the playoffs are going to feel like.' You're going to get scratched, held, hit, and the refs are going to swallow the whistle. The league might say it's the same, but we all see it."
"Having a home game first helped us settle in, but I think the young guys have been great," Fox explained. "We've got dogs on this team. Even if they don't know everything yet, they trust their instincts and play."
The series shifts back to Frost Bank Center for Game 5 on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT. A victory would advance the Spurs to the Western Conference semifinals.
"Yeah—one more. We don’t know how it is, most of us," Wembanyama said. "I’ve never been here, never been in this situation. But we want to finish the job."