The San Antonio Spurs leave nothing to chance in the decisive game and advance to the second round with ease. The young team’s depth and class clearly came through against the overstretched Trail Blazers.
The San Antonio Spurs ended their series against the Portland Trail Blazers on a strong note (4-1). Down 114-95 in Game 5, San Antonio left no doubt from the start that there would not be another game. A 12-2 start set the tone early. The Spurs played with energy, Portland never really found a grip at any time.
While Victor Wembanyama was once again the center of attention, the victory was above all the result of a cohesive team performance. The Frenchman finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks and shaped the game as usual on both sides of the court.
Support came from several sides: De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Justin Champagnie all scored in double figures and kept the pressure constantly high.
Portland struggles in vain against Spurs
The Trail Blazers tried to come back in the final quarter and cut a deficit of over 20 points to nine. However, San Antonio had the right answer every time it got tighter. In particular, the former Clutch Player of the Year Fox was virtually unstoppable with 13 of his 21 points in the final period.
In the end, Portland lacked consistency, both offensively and defensively. The top scorer was Deni Avdija with 22 points, but overall the team remained too error-prone and lacking in ideas.
The Spurs underlined their development with a commanding finish to the series. After several close and sometimes wild games beforehand, Game 5 was a demonstration of power. San Antonio is therefore back in the second round for the first time since 2017 and will face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
