Spurs Beat Blazers in Victor Wembanyama's Injury Return as Fans React to Game 4 of Playoff Series
The San Antonio Spurs stormed back in the second half behind the return of Victor Wembanyama to secure a 114-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The road victory marked Wembanyama's first appearance since Game 2 after clearing concussion protocol. Portland had taken that game 106-103 in San Antonio.
The Defensive Player of the Year opened the series with 35 points in a 111-98 Game 1 win before exiting Game 2 early, finishing with five points in 12 minutes.
With a chance to seize control of the series, San Antonio asserted its dominance in Game 4 with a 21-point victory.
Wembanyama finished with a double-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and seven blocks, while De'Aaron Fox delivered a standout performance with 28 points on 65 percent shooting, along with six rebounds and seven assists. Stephon Castle added 16 points and eight assists in the Game 4 win.
In their first playoff appearance since 2019, the San Antonio Spurs are eyeing a deep postseason run with Wembanyama back in the lineup.
For the Portland Trail Blazers, Deni Avdija led the way with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Jrue Holiday added 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jerami Grant chipped in 17 points off the bench, and Scoot Henderson struggled, going 0-of-7 from the field without scoring.
The Portland Trail Blazers built a lead of as many as 19 points and took a commanding 58-41 advantage into halftime behind 13 points from Deni Avdija and nine from Jrue Holiday.
Out of the break, Portland unraveled, getting outscored 33-16 as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 74.
The Blazers couldn't recover down the stretch, with a 27-8 run from the Spurs to start the fourth while Portland shot just 40 percent from the field throughout the contest while struggling to generate offense.
The winner of the Portland Trail Blazers-San Antonio Spurs series will advance to face the winner of the No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves matchup in the Western Conference semifinals, with Minnesota holding a 3-1 edge.
A decisive Game 5 between San Antonio and Portland is set for Tuesday as the series shifts back to San Antonio.
