The San Antonio Spurs erased a 19-point hole on Sunday night, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 114-93 at Moda Center to grab a 3-1 edge in their Western Conference first-round series.
Center Victor Wembanyama, cleared shortly before tipoff after the concussion he suffered in Game 2, finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals. According to ESPN Research, he is the first player since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74 to record at least 25 points and five blocks in his first career postseason road game.
San Antonio trailed 60-43 at intermission, then opened the third quarter with a 13-0 burst and ultimately outscored Portland 73-35 in the second half. The 38-point differential is the second largest after halftime of any playoff game on record. ESPN Research also noted the Spurs are the first team in league history to be down 15 or more at the break and still win by at least 15.
De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 points, while Devin Vassell poured in nine of his 18 during the pivotal third period. Wembanyama tied the contest at 74-all with a tip-dunk at the third-quarter horn, and San Antonio closed the night by outscoring the Blazers 40-19.
“I had a lot of emotion coming into this one,” Wembanyama said, adding that the clearance process for Game 3 left him “very disappointed.”
Portland has now dropped back-to-back home playoff games in which it led by at least 15, becoming only the third club to do so in the past 20 postseasons, per ESPN Research.
Through three appearances in the series, opponents are 5-for-30 when Wembanyama contests a shot, scoring just 10 total points. He is only the fourth player with 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in his first three playoff outings, joining Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Alonzo Mourning.
Game 5 is set for Tuesday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, where the Spurs can close out the series.
Source: ESPN
