Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 on Tuesday night, eliminating Portland 3-2 in Game Five of the first-round series to advance to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017. The Spurs lead by as many as 28 points in the win, their third straight game, with De'Aaron Fox (21), Julian Champagnie (19), and Dylan Harper (17) all scoring 17+ points. Champagnie emphasized the team’s motivation: “We didn’t want to go back to Portland,” adding the 3-1 series at home provided a “good chance to close it out.”

San Antonio’s run to the second round comes after a rapid rebuild following Kawhi Leonard’s ankle injury and trade, which led to a draft collapse. The Spurs drafted seven-foot-four French center Wembanyama, who was stellar in closing out Portland. Portland’s Tiago Splitter called Wembanyama’s defensive impact “extremely difficult,” noting his ability to contest the 3 and the rim. Portland cut the Spurs’ lead to 91-82 with an 11-0 run but was stifled, including Wembanyama sending Deni Avdija’s floater off the top of the backboard. Avdija finished with 22 points but shot 1 for 6 from 3. Portland’s Scoot Henderson scored five points after a skirmish with Harper in Game Three, highlighting the series’ physicality. The Spurs responded to Portland’s double-digit deficits in Games Three and Four by charging to a 17-4 start in Game Five, fueled by Champagnie’s 5 for 7 from 3. Wembanyama said, “It’s never perfect, but that’s what we said we wanted to do.”

San Antonio advances to the Western Conference semifinals against the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series, which the Timberwolves lead 3-2 (Game Six on Thursday). The Spurs’ run to the second round marks their first postseason appearance since 2017, when they beat the Houston Rockets but were swept by Golden State in the conference finals after losing Leonard to injury. The series’ physicality continued with skirmishes between the second-seeded Spurs and No. 7 seed Trail Blazers, with Johnson stressing the team couldn’t afford another early double-digit deficit.