The San Antonio Spurs punched through their six-year playoff drought Tuesday night, dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 to seal a 4-1 series victory and return to postseason action for the first time since 2017.
Victor Wembanyama, the league's newly crowned defensive player of the year, anchored the Spurs' defensive effort with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. DeAaron Fox contributed 21 points while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper added 19 and 17 respectively as San Antonio built a commanding 28-point lead at one stretch.
The margin never truly tightened. Portland never found footing against a Spurs squad that had elimination in its grasp at home and was determined not to return to the Pacific Northwest.
"We didn't want to go back to Portland," Champagnie said. "That was kind of the emphasis for the guys on the team. We just didn't want to fly back to Portland. It's a four-hour flight. So being up 3-1 and playing at home, it's a good chance to close it out and not go back. So, that was all of the motivation we needed tonight."
Wembanyama's impact on the defensive end drew praise even from the opposing sideline. Portland coach Tiago Splitter noted the nearly impossible task of attacking a player with his rare skill set.
"It's extremely difficult," Splitter said. "You've got to do a lot of tricks and try to set backscreens and seals and spin actions. It's not easy, because he can contest the three and the rim at the same time, basically. He's going to create a lot of problems for a lot of teams for a long time."
San Antonio will face either Denver or Minnesota in the next round. The Timberwolves lead their series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers kept their season alive with a 113-97 win over Boston in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. Joel Embiid exploded for 33 points and eight assists while Tyrese Maxey contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds. Philadelphia trailed by one entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Celtics 28-11 down the stretch. Boston's offense cratered in the final period, connecting on just 3 of 22 shots.
In New York, Jalen Brunson's 39-point performance carried the Knicks to a 126-97 victory over Atlanta. The Knicks, now holding a 3-2 series lead, dominated the glass with a 48-27 rebounding advantage. OG Anunoby tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds for New York.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Spurs showed they belong back in the playoffs with that defensive intensity, and Wembanyama is the kind of generational talent that changes everything about a franchise's future."
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