A commanding halftime lead vanished as San Antonio exploded, rewriting the game's narrative and pushing Portland to the brink of elimination.
For the Portland Trail Blazers, Game 4 felt under control.
Until it wasn’t.
Portland walked into halftime with a 58–41 lead, riding an 18–3 run that had the Moda Center buzzing. Everything looked in place, the energy, the shot-making, the pace. They were dictating the game and had a chance to even the series on their home floor.
Then the second half started, and everything flipped.
The San Antonio Spurs opened the third quarter on a 13–0 run, immediately cutting into Portland’s lead and shifting the entire tone of the game. What had been a comfortable cushion quickly turned into pressure, and the Blazers never fully recovered.
That stretch changed everything.
The offense, which had flowed in the first half, stalled out. Shots that were falling earlier stopped dropping. Possessions became rushed. Ball movement slowed, reflected in just 14 total assists for the game. Instead of playing with control, Portland started reacting.
San Antonio took advantage.
By the end of the third quarter, the game was tied at 74. Just like that, the Blazers’ 17-point lead was gone.
From there, the fourth quarter belonged entirely to the Spurs.
De'Aaron Fox helped lead the push with 28 points, while Victor Wembanyama made his presence felt in his return with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and seven blocks. San Antonio’s confidence grew with each possession, while Portland struggled to regain its footing.
The numbers tell the story.
Portland shot just 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from three, while San Antonio connected at 49 percent overall and 42 percent from deep. The Blazers also turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 29 Spurs points, another swing that became impossible to overcome once momentum shifted.
Even more telling, Portland led for 59 percent of the game, and still lost by 21.
That’s how drastic the second-half swing was.
There were positives early. Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 26 points and helped fuel that first-half surge. The energy was there. The execution was there, for a time.
But playoff games aren’t won in halves, they’re won in how you respond when momentum turns.
In Game 4, Portland didn’t have that answer.
Now, the consequences are clear.
The Blazers head back on the road trailing 3–1, facing elimination in Game 5. What could have been a tied series is now a steep climb.
And it all traces back to one stretch.
A third quarter that flipped the game, and may have flipped the series with it.