SAN ANTONIO — Spurs center Victor Wembanyama scored a franchise-record 35 points in his playoff debut, leading San Antonio to a 111-98 game one victory over the Portland Trailblazers Sunday at Frost Bank Center.
The MVP candidate shone bright in his first playoff game, breaking former Spur Tim Duncan’s scoring record for points in a playoff debut. Wembanyama, along with his fellow teammates, dominated the Blazers in every facet of the game. Five Spurs scored in double figures, including guard Stephon Castle, who made his playoff debut with 17 points. Defensively, San Antonio terrorized Portland. With Wembanyama anchoring the paint, the Blazers’ offense was nonexistent outside of guard Deni Avdija who scored 24 points. Every Portland scoring run was quickly cut off by a timely score or crucial defensive stop. With dominance on both sides of the ball, San Antonio developed and held a near 20-point lead for the entirety of the contest. Portland attempted a brief scoring run late, but Wembanyama answered nearly every Blazer point with a score of his own.
A 21-point first-half explosion from the Spurs’ center propelled his team to an early double-digit lead. Though the Trailblazers managed to slightly shorten the deficit, San Antonio held the advantage. Wembanyama continuously scored with every trip down the court, creating offense at the rim, midrange and beyond the arc. The center showed no signs of nervousness, scoring nine of his 21 in the first quarter.
Led by Wembanyama, the rest of the Spurs quickly settled in. The team took advantage of size matchups and punished Portland’s defensive switches. Guard De’Aaron Fox scored 10 of his 17 points in the opening half, and six Spurs scored. Defensively, San Antonio forced Avdija to carry the scoring load. Avdija scored 19 in the half, but none of his teammates broke double-digit scoring. San Antonio headed into the half with a 59-49 lead, after forward Keldon Johnson knocked down a three at the halftime buzzer.
Despite an eight-point scoring run from the Trailblazers to open the third, the Spurs maintained their lead thanks to timely scores from Fox and guard Julian Champagnie. San Antonio guard Devin Vassell hit his stride in the second half, scoring eight points, including two consecutive threes to push Portland back to a 10-point deficit. Firing on all cylinders offensively, San Antonio extended its lead to nearly 20 points headed into the fourth. The Blazers managed to string together a couple of scores but failed to bring the game within 11 points. With 50 seconds left in the fourth, coach Mitch Johnson pulled his starters from the game.
The Spurs will take on the Trailblazers for game two at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Frost Bank Center, streaming on WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio.
