Victor Wembanyama turned Frost Bank Center into his personal no-fly zone Tuesday night, putting up 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks as the San Antonio Spurs rolled the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 to close out their first-round series. San Antonio never trailed and pushed the lead to as many as 28, turning the building into a full-throated celebration by the time the clock hit zero. With Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper keeping the offense humming around Wembanyama's interior dominance, the win sends the Spurs to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017, where they will see the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series.
According to the Associated Press via the San Francisco Chronicle, Wembanyama's rim protection dictated the entire flow of the game while Portland's perimeter shooting cooled to 23 percent. The AP account spotlights a turning-point sequence when Devin Vassell wiped out Donovan Clingan's two-handed dunk attempt, setting up a Luke Kornet three-point play that swung momentum and helped San Antonio build that big cushion. Coach Mitch Johnson had warned the Spurs they could not afford another early double-digit deficit in this series, and the group clearly got the memo with its aggressive start.
Balanced scoring, efficient attack
The official box score at RealGM shows De'Aaron Fox leading the way with 21 points, while Champagnie poured in 19 and Harper added 17 off the bench as six Spurs finished in double figures. San Antonio shot 54.7 percent from the field and hit 12-of-30 from long range, numbers that helped snuff out a late Portland push. Attendance was listed at 19,063 as the Spurs finished the series on their home floor.
What's next
Per the Associated Press via the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spurs will take on whichever team emerges from the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves matchup in the Western Conference semifinals. Minnesota holds a 3-2 edge in that series with Game 6 set for Thursday, so San Antonio's staff will spend the next few days scouting both potential opponents and tightening the game plan. For a franchise that had not advanced past the first round since 2017, Tuesday's closeout felt less like a routine win and more like a line-in-the-sand moment for a young core that suddenly looks ready for the spotlight.
