Victor Wembanyama delivers 35 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in a Game 1 victory.
Important firsts defined the San Antonio Spurs’ 111-98 Game 1 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers in a first-round Western Conference series Sunday.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s first playoff game. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson’s first playoff game along with the playoff debuts of San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
It was the first Spurs’ playoff game without Gregg Popovich as coach since 1999 – a span that covered 170 playoff victories and five NBA championships – and the Spurs’ first playoff appearance and victory since 2019.
“We’ve had a lot of firsts this year,” Mitch Johnson said. “Obviously, this is at the top of the list when you start talking about a playoff win, but I do think our group’s done a really good job of taking everything in stride and just being present in the moment and where our feet are at.”
Several Trail Blazers made their playoff debut, as well: Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and interim coach Tiago Splitter.
Here are four takeaways from the series opener:
1. Wembanyama’s record-setting playoff debut
Wembanyama’s line: 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting, including 5-for-6 on 3-pointers, five rebounds, two blocks and one assist. He set a franchise record for most points in a playoff debut, passing Tim Duncan’s 32. Duncan attended the game along with fellow Spurs great David Robinson.
Wembanyama is the center of attention in this series, and rightfully so. The third-year forward-center was an All-Star this season for the second time and is a finalist for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
How would he perform in his playoff debut? He excelled, especially as a scorer. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama’s first career playoff point came on a free throw and his first made field goal was a six-foot runner along with baseline. He had his 3-ball going, including an off-the-dribble slight fadeaway corner 3 late in the second quarter.
He scored 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting in the first half, was scoreless in the third quarter and had 14 in the fourth.
“There’s an approach that we all have in terms of an expectation of a heightened level of preparation, detail, nuance, competitiveness, physicality, everything,” Mitch Johnson said. “And I think there’s a real desire from that young man to want to participate in that. This is his first playoff game, and he has lofty expectations and goals for himself.”
2. Trail Blazers need more than Deni Avdija’s scoring
Avdija showed why he was an All-Star for the first time this season: 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal. But only one other Trail Blazers starter scored in doubles figures (Scoot Henderson, 18 points).
The Trail Blazers shot just 42.9% from the field and 26.3% on 3-pointers, and remove Avdija’s shooting stats from the equation, Portland was below 40% from the field and under 25% on 3s. Yes, the Spurs had the third-best defense and have Wembanyama’s imposing defensive presence, but Portland trailed by two early in the third quarter. It just lacked the offensive answers to stick with San Antonio.
3. The other Spurs’ youngsters deliver
Castle, the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year, had 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and though he was not efficient shooting from the field, he made all eight of his free-throw attempts.
Vassell added 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks, and rookie Dylan Harper had six points, four rebounds and two assists, and while single-game plus-minus can be misleading, Harper was plus-18 in 23 minutes.
“I thought they responded great,” Mitch Johnson said. “We talked about how this was going to be an atmosphere and a level of energy and enthusiasm in this building that none of us have felt – not sitting on the bench in the roles that we’re in right now. And that was OK.
“And so we knew the start of the game was going to be filled with energy. And we made sure to try to get back to the regular schedule programming, but they deserved that. They deserved that moment to feel this city, their fans, that crowd, giving them that energy. And I thought they ended up getting settled, but I was expecting nothing but that.”
4. De’Aaron Fox’s necessary veteran presence
San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox has just one previous playoff series on his resume – a 2023 first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors when Fox played for the Sacramento Kings. But he is a veteran with more than 600 career games, and the Spurs will need his experience and leadership as the Spurs move deeper into the playoffs.
In Game 1, Fox had 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and it’s likely the Spurs will have a game or two where they rely even more on Fox’s ability.
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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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