Victor Wembanyama set a new San Antonio record for most points in an NBA playoff debut as the Spurs swept Portland.
Published on 20 April 2026
Victor Wembanyama scored 35 points in his postseason debut as the host San Antonio Spurs used a fourth-quarter run to create separation in a 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
The Spurs take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with Game 2 in the Alamo City on Tuesday before switching to Portland for Games 3 and 4.
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Wembanyama broke Tim Duncan’s franchise record for most points in a playoff debut (32 in 1998). He led all first-half scorers with 21 points – a league record for most in the first half of the NBA Playoffs beginning in 1997, the beginning of the play-by-play era.
“It’s good to get it out of the way,” Vembanyama said. “We just tried to do what we’ve been doing all year and stay strong. There was pressure on us to win the first game, but if we had stuck to the plan there wouldn’t have been as much pressure.”
San Antonio, the second seed in the West, led by 10 at halftime and by 15 after three quarters, but scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to wrap up the victory, 93–72.
The seventh-seeded Trail Blazers got back within 11 via a 13–3 run capped by Denny Avdija’s dunk with 4:27 to play, but San Antonio held out.
“What we learned is that every possession counts,” Scooter Henderson said. “Next game I think we’ll all be more aggressive defensively. I think I can be more aggressive. Defensively I think I might have a little more in the tank.”
Stephen Cassel and De’Aaron Fox added 17 points each for the Spurs, with Devin Vassell adding 15 and Luke Kornet 10.
Avdija scored 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers. Henderson added 18 assists, Robert Williams III had 11, Shadden Sharp had 10 and Jrue Holiday had nine points.
The Spurs went ahead in the early moments of the game, taking a nine-point lead on Fox’s stepback 3-pointer at the 2:35 mark of the first quarter and taking a 30–21 lead after 12 minutes of play.
San Antonio increased the margin to 50–34 when Kornet threw down an alley-oop dunk from Cassel with 5:24 to play in the second quarter. Avdija’s three-point play with 2:28 left cut the deficit to seven points, before Vembanyama made a layup and then a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to push the lead back to a dozen points. The Spurs led 59–49 at the break.
“(Wembanyama) has high expectations and goals for himself and being in the playoffs is definitely a part of that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “So it’s nice to get that first time and have that experience under your belt.”
Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 19 points in the opening two periods.
The Trail Blazers scored the first eight points of the third quarter and had four chances to tie the game or go ahead, but they committed three turnovers and missed one shot over that stretch.
When Portland coach Tiago Splitter was asked if the team’s lack of playoff experience played a role in the loss, he said, “It’s hard to say.” “It’s the first time we’ve played against Wembley this season so there’s a lot to learn. It wasn’t our best night. It’s really hard to get him out of the paint. Those five threes really hurt us.”
San Antonio found its stride and led by a game-high 17 points on Julian Champagne’s 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play before taking an 87–72 lead into the final 12 minutes.
“Our first timeout, in the first quarter, I think it took everyone a minute to settle in,” Vassell said. “Even in the second half, it took a minute when (Portland) started going on a run. Basketball is a game of runs, so if we could counter that, get some stops and start getting some good looks then we knew we’d be OK.”
