Wembanyama returns with 27 points as Spurs crush Blazers, seize 3-1 lead

Victor Wembanyama changed the series the moment he returned to the floor. After San Antonio fell behind 58-41 at halftime in Portland, the 7-foot-4 Defensive Player of the Year helped flip the game into a 114-93 Spurs rout, with San Antonio outscoring the Trail Blazers 73-35 after intermission and 40-19 in the fourth quarter.

Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots in his first game back from concussion protocol, and De’Aaron Fox added 28 points to keep San Antonio rolling once the Spurs found their rhythm. The team announced about an hour before tipoff that Wembanyama would play after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol, and his presence changed the floor on both ends. Portland had controlled the first half behind a 33-18 second quarter, but the Blazers could not sustain that pace once San Antonio tightened its defense and started converting on the other end.

The return carried added weight because of how the injury happened. Wembanyama had been ruled out for Game 3 while recovering from the concussion he suffered in Game 2, when he hit his jaw on the court after a foul by Jrue Holiday. Portland’s Scoot Henderson answered that night with a playoff career-high 31 points to help even the series at 1-1, but San Antonio regained the edge in Game 3 anyway, winning 120-108 behind Stephon Castle’s 33 points and Dylan Harper’s 27 points and 10 rebounds.

That set up Game 4 as the defining response. With Wembanyama back, the No. 2-seeded Spurs looked far more equipped to absorb Portland’s early push and then impose their size, shot blocking and scoring depth over the final 24 minutes. Fox gave San Antonio another high-level creator, and Wembanyama’s rim protection shut down Portland’s attempts to hang on after halftime.

San Antonio now leads the best-of-seven first-round series 3-1, and Game 5 is Tuesday night in San Antonio. After taking control in Portland, the Spurs returned home with a chance to finish the job and advance with their star center healthy again.