Dylan Harper scores a playoff career-high 27 points, including 22 in the second half, of the Spurs Game 3 victory.
The Portland Trail Blazers don’t have much time to mull their Game 3 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Game 4 is an early afternoon start Sunday in Portland, less than 48 hours after the Spurs took a 2-1 series lead with a 120-108 victory Friday night.
San Antonio won without center-forward Victor Wembanyama, who requires medical clearance to play after sustaining a concussion in Game 2, and San Antonio burrowed through a 15-point second-half deficit thanks to impressive scoring from 20-year-old rookie guard Dylan Harper (27 points) and 21-year-old second-year guard Stephon Castle (33 points).
Will the Spurs take a 3-1 series lead? Will the Blazers tie the series? Will Wembanyama play in Game 4 Sunday (3:30 ET, ESPN)?
Here are three things to watch in Game 4:
1. What is Wembanyama’s status for Game 4?
Even if Wembanyama, 22, wants to play and says he can go, it’s not his decision. After a concussion, a player must be symptom-free and go through a series of tests and physical exertion steps and get clearance from a doctor and the NBA’s director of the concussion program before returning.
Wembanyama, the Kia Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists Kia MVP this season, set a franchise record for points in a playoff debut with 35 in San Antonio’s Game 1 victory.
The Spurs await his return with patience. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama is progressing but would not speculate on his availability, citing the detailed return-to-play process.
2. Blazers must avoid a letdown
Portland led 82-67 with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter. With 5:48 to go in the fourth, San Antonio owned a 108-96 lead. During that stretch, Portland was 6-for-23 from the field, missed its six 3-point attempts, Deni Avdija was 0-for-4, Jrue Holiday — who otherwise had a terrific game with 29 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals — was 1-for-4 and Jerami Grant was 0-for-3.
The Trail Blazers couldn’t do much to slow the Spurs, who shot 13-for-19 from the field and 7-for-9 on 3-pointers. Harper scored 20 points during that run, and 20-year-old rookie Carter Bryant was on the court for the entire stretch, contributing offensively and defensively. He finished with an impactful three points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
The second duo (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) in NBA history, age 21 or younger, to each score 25+ points in the same playoff game. pic.twitter.com/4xbaEYkQoa
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 25, 2026
Harper also had 10 rebounds, becoming the youngest guard to record a double-double in a playoff game. Per the Spurs, Harper was the first rookie with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in a playoff game since 1987. Harper and Castle also joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only duos in NBA history, age 21 or younger, to score 25 or more points in the same playoff game.
3. Can Avdija produce more offensively?
After scoring 30 points in Game 1, Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija had 14 points in Game 2 and 19 points in Game 3. Of those 19 points, 12 came on free throws, and he was 3-for-15 from the field and scored eight points in the second half and three in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs have made shooting difficult for him, especially in the paint, where Luke Kornet was waiting to alter Avdija’s shots at the rim. Avdija was 2-for-10 on shots in the paint as San Antonio played a physical game and used multiple defenders on him.
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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