The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Trail Blazers, 114-93, in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.
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Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to the NBA playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs star missed Game 3 with a concussion and was cleared to play in Game 4. His presence in the lineup helped the Spurs to a 114-93 victory Sunday and a 3-1 series lead against the Portland Trail Blazers in their first-round Western Conference playoff matchup.
The Spurs eliminated a 17-point halftime deficit and became the first team in NBA playoff history to trail by 15 or more at halftime and win by 15 or more.
After winning two road games against Portland, the Spurs are one victory from their first playoff series win since 2017 and the first playoff series victory for almost all of San Antonio’s roster, including coach Mitch Johnson.
Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio (9:30 ET, ESPN).
Here are four takeaways from Game 4:
1. A Wembanyama dunkfest in his return
Victor Wembanyama posts 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals and 7 blocks.
Wembanyama sustained a concussion in the second quarter of Game 2. He missed the rest of that game and all of Game 3 as he went through the NBA’s concussion protocol. The 22-year-old Kia Defensive Player of the Year, who is also one of three finalists for Kia MVP, was cleared for Game 4, and he delivered with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, seven blocks and four steals.
The Trail Blazers had success with centers Robert Williams III and Donovan Clingan when Wembanyama was sidelined. They weren’t able to replicate that with Wembanyama patrolling the paint and protecting the rim.
Clingan was 2-for-10 from the field, and Williams, who had 11 points and nine rebounds in each of Games 2 and 3, was 2-for-4 from the field with six rebounds.
Wembanyama, who said after the game he was feeling great, was a force at the rim offensively too. He was 8-for-10 on shots in the paint, and his five buckets in the second half were all dunks, four of which came on lobs as the Spurs found their offensive rhythm.
2. Spurs dominate in second half
Portland led 58-41 at halftime. The lead vanished on San Antonio guard-forward Devin Vassell’s basket with 4:05 left in the third quarter, putting the Spurs ahead 64-62.
It was all San Antonio from that point. Vassell had another solid effort with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Kia Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson’s dunk gave the Spurs a 101-81 lead, capping a 37-point turnaround in nearly 20 minutes of game time.
In the first seven minutes of the third quarter, Portland was 2-for-13 from the field and 0-for-7 on 3s with three turnovers and four points.
After shooting 57.9% from the field in the second quarter, Portland shot 33.3% in the second half, including 29.2% in the third quarter.
It was the second consecutive game in which the Spurs overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half – a solid sign for a young team.
“In adversity, we stick together, we get closer to each other, we feed off each other (and) feed off each other’s energy,” Wembanyama said, adding, “We thrive when we do the invisible efforts that benefit others. There’s no jealousy (and) nobody cares about their stat line. It’s our greatest strength.”
3. Fox shines for Spurs
De’Aaron Fox scores a game-high 28 points to help lead the Spurs in Game 4.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox produced his best game of the series: 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal and two blocks.
Mitch Johnson took it a step further:
“Might have been his best game as a Spur. He dominated the game in every way. In the first half, when things weren’t going our way and we weren’t playing well, I thought De’Aaron had the disposition we were looking for.
“I thought he worked the game. I thought his defense was consistent, and when everybody else got on the same page, he started scoring (and) he started spoon-feeding his teammates. I thought he completely took over the game.”
Fox scored inside and out with four 3-pointers and 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the paint. His scoring burst came during San Antonio’s second-half run – 11 of his 18 second-half points were in the fourth quarter, including 10 points in a four-minute stretch.
“If I have a 3, if they give me space, you take it,” Fox said. “If they don’t, you try to get to the paint, and if there’s no help, you finish. If there is help, you kick it out. Just trying to play as simple as possible made this game a little easier.”
4. Jrue Holiday appreciation
Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, who came to Portland in an offseason trade, had 20 points, his second consecutive game with at least that many.
He also had six rebounds and four assists, and not only has he been instrumental in Portland’s success this season, his contributions off the court and as a teammate will benefit the Blazers moving forward.
Holiday – a two-time NBA champion (Boston and Milwaukee) and two-time Olympic gold medalist (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 ) – is one of the league’s class acts.
He is a two-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship award and a three-time winner of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award. In his first season with Portland, he also earned the Maurice Lucas Award given to the Portland player who “best represents the indomitable spirit of Maurice Lucas through his contributions on and off the court, as well as in support of his teammates and the organization.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at [email protected], find his archive here and follow him on X.
