San Antonio is back to its winning ways in the postseason after downing Portland. How did the Spurs get it done?
The San Antonio Spurs notched their first postseason win of the year in a 111-98 series-opening victory at home over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
The Western Conference's No. 2-seed showcased why they have been one of the NBA's best team, arguably the best of late, in an emphatic return to the playoffs.
While the Spurs were greatly successful in the regular season, what allowed them to carry that momentum in the postseason? Here are the three keys for San Antonio in its first win that could be the blueprint for sustained success throughout the rest of its playoff run.
Victor Wembanyama is Super-Human, Once Again
In a surprise to absolutely no one, Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was good at basketball in Sunday's win. Riveting stuff, I know.
Wemby went for a cool 35 points on a 13-of-21 shooting night, including an eye-popping 5-of-6 from 3-point range for the big man. It is his fifth time scoring 30 or more points in the last six outings.
For a franchise that is no stranger to iconic faces, his outing secured the Spurs' record for most points in a playoff debut.
He did look average with only five rebounds, but he did not seem to be necessary, as the rest of the team was effective in crashing the boards.
If his stellar offensive production continues, it will be a short season-ending stint for Portland.
Scoring Sells Tickets, Rebounding Wins Titles
As previously mentioned, San Antonio was extremely efficient in pulling down the rebounds on both sides of the floor.
The Spurs went for 45 total rebounds, including 11 offensive boards.
Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson led the charge with seven snags off the glass, while three other Spurs grabbed five on the night.
Despite the strong performance, it was still a slim edge over the Blazers, who snagged 38.
However, the team's usual best rebounder in Wembanyama had an off-night, which was previously discussed. With the Spurs still winning the battle without their leader showcasing his best abilities, it bodes well for San Antonio moving forward.
Oh Yeah, Defense Is Pretty Important Too
Getting it done in all three phases, San Antonio showed off an impressive effort defensively in its debut.
The Spurs should be home to the league's Defensive Player of the Year in Wembanyama, which has the potential to be the first unanimous selection in history.
Fulfilling his near requirement, he swatted two Blazers shots alongside Devin Vassell. Outside of these trackable stats, San Antonio simply forced their will up and down the floor.
Portland had an alright night shooting from the field, as it finished at 43 percent. However, the Blazers were snuffed out from downtown, going for an abysmal 26 percent on deep tries.
Individually, San Antonio gave up a huge 30-point night to star Deni Avdija and allowed an impressive 18 points to Scoot Henderson in his postseason debut.
Although, the Spurs limited all the rest of the squad to 11 points or less. Compare this to San Antonio, who had five double-digit scorers. Including two 17 point contributors in Castle and De'Aaron Fox behind Wembanyama.
It was not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination for San Antonio, but all that mattered was it returned the Spurs to the win column of postseason basketball.
The Spurs return to the floor of Frost Bank Arena on Tuesday, April 21 for Game 2 against Portland looking for a commanding 2-0 lead.
Focusing on these core facets while continuing to improve throughout the series should prepare San Antonio for its next challenger in a hopefully long playoff trip.