Wembanyama returns as Spurs storm past Blazers, take 3-1 lead

Victor Wembanyama’s return changed the series immediately, and the Spurs used a second-half surge to turn a playoff test into a statement. San Antonio beat Portland 114-93 at Moda Center, erased a 17-point halftime deficit and took a 3-1 lead, with De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama giving the Spurs the kind of star power that can alter a postseason ceiling overnight.

Wembanyama, back after missing Game 3 because of concussion protocol, finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, seven blocks and four steals in 34 minutes. Fox led San Antonio with 28 points, and together they powered a 73-35 second-half rout that made the Spurs the first team in NBA playoff history to trail by at least 15 at halftime and still win by at least 15.

The comeback mattered beyond one game. For San Antonio, this was the first playoff series win opportunity since 2017, and for much of the roster it would be the first postseason series victory. The Spurs looked like a team still learning how to survive long playoff stretches in one half, then looked like a contender in the next, which is exactly why this series has become such a revealing measure of where the franchise stands.

Portland controlled the opening two quarters and built its cushion behind Deni Avdija, who led the Trail Blazers with 26 points. But the second half exposed how fragile that control was. The Blazers’ advantage vanished as the Spurs tightened the game, pushed pace and forced Portland into a collapse that acting coach Tiago Splitter described as a mental breakdown.

Wembanyama’s return also carried off-court friction. He said afterward that he was “very disappointed” with how the return-to-play process was handled after the concussion he sustained in Game 2, when he fell face-first after contact with Jrue Holiday on Tuesday, April 21. He also said San Antonio’s medical staff treated him well and that he did not want to become a distraction.

The emotional edge spilled over late, when Avdija and Stephon Castle were involved in a dustup that drew offsetting technical fouls. Game 5 was set for Tuesday in San Antonio on ESPN, and the Spurs head home with a chance to close out a series that has shown both their explosive ceiling and the danger of relying on star-driven swings to reach it.