The NBA Playoffs are so volatile that any series can change with a hard fall or an inadvertent twist of the ankle. The NBA Playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs turned when Victor Wembanyama hit the ground hard and suffered a concussion in Game 2. The Trailblazers went on to win Game 2; the Spurs won Game 1 with Wembanyama and Game 3 without Wembanyama.
The Spurs brought their 2-1 series lead into this first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers. Though coach Johnson took the announcement that Wemby would play in game 4 right up to the 60-minute mark just before tip-off.
“We’ll have an update at the 60-minute mark,” the Spurs head coach said pre-game about Wembanyama availability for game four.
“When Wembanyama isn’t playing, you think Fox and Vassell will take over. But last game the young guys took it, and they both scored 30 and won the game for them,” Trailblazers head coach Tiago Splitter said in between games 3 and 4. “They were the most aggressive. Tomorrow could be different — maybe it’s a Fox and Vassell game. We have to be prepared for everything. They’re a talented team, and you can’t relax.”
Many would say the Trailblazers blew an opportunity to take control of the series with Wembanyama out. Earlier this week, I asked the Trailblazers coach what he saw from his team that gave him confidence they’d be ready for this challenge against the Spurs on Sunday afternoon. He shared this with me.
“I have no doubt we’ll be ready. At the end of the regular season, with eight games left, every game was basically a playoff game for us — and we treated it that way. We’re going up against a very good, tough, talented team,” Splitter said what he is looking for from his guys in Game 3. “We’ve shown we can compete with them and beat them — the question is whether we can do it for the full 48 minutes. But the guys know the task, and they’ll bring it.”
Echoing their strong start in Game 3, the Trailblazers burst out of the gate with energy. They closed the first quarter on a 7-3 run, grabbing a slim two-point advantage. Their relentless defense strung together five consecutive stops, fueling a surge that stretched their lead to 15 points late in the second quarter. By halftime, they confidently took a 58-41 lead into the locker room.
“We just need to be better at sustaining our play. We can’t let them go on those runs. That’s the most important thing right now — making the right adjustments,” Trailblazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija said about what they need to do to beat the Spurs. “We’ve been great at times, but we have to keep it going.”
The Trailblazers jumped ahead 58-49 early in the third quarter, but the Spurs stormed back with a 15-point run, clamping down on defense and holding Portland to 16 points in the period. The lead bounced back and forth in the closing minutes, setting the stage for an exciting finish to the third as both teams ended the quarter deadlocked at 74.
Similar to Game 3, the Spurs pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Trail Blazers 73–35 across the third and fourth quarters of Game 4. However, the Spurs seem better equipped to excel in these playoffs, and Coach Splitter’s direct, to-the-point commentary after the game reflected his disappointment.
“Turnovers and missed shots. Our second‑half turnovers alone led to 23 transition points. Live turnovers kill you. They clogged the paint — nothing easy,” Trailblazers head coach Tiago Splitter admitted after the game. “Nobody could get into the paint cleanly. At the end of the day, you have to make shots. We have to put our players in positions to make shots and go from there.”
This series has been mildly chippy, causing some of the Spurs to feel like villains on the road. When asked about adopting the villain persona on the road, the Spurs song year center would say.
“I think any road team is the villain in the playoffs,” Spurs center Wembanyama said about the NBA playoffs. “The atmosphere here has been great. I was surprised last game sitting on the bench — it was my first road playoff game.”
With a win, the Trailblazers can force a game 6 back in Portland, or the Spurs can wrap up this series in five games when they play game 5 on Tuesday night in San Antonio. With a win, the San Antonio Spurs would move on to the second round, while the Portland Trailblazers would begin holding exit interviews and planning for next season.
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