Wembanyama’s debut night

Victor Wembanyama opened his first National Basketball Association playoff game with 35 points and pushed San Antonio past Portland 111-98 in Game 1 on Sunday, April 19. (espn.com) He shot 13-for-21 from the field, made 5 of 6 from 3-point range, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots at Frost Bank Center. (nba.com) The 35 points were the most by a Spurs player in a playoff debut, topping Tim Duncan’s 32, and NBA.com said no player had posted at least 35 points and five made 3s in a postseason debut before. (nba.com) San Antonio had not won a playoff game in seven years, and this team arrived here after a 62-20 regular season that put the Spurs second in the Western Conference. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) The franchise had missed the postseason every year since 2019, so Wembanyama’s first playoff appearance came as part of San Antonio’s first first-round series in seven seasons. (espn.com) Wembanyama entered the series as the Spurs’ top regular-season scorer and rebounder, averaging 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. (espn.com) Portland reached the series as San Antonio’s first-round opponent, but Game 1 turned early when the Spurs built a 41-31 lead before halftime behind Wembanyama’s 16 first-half points. (nba.com) ESPN and the league’s own video channels moved quickly to package the game, with highlight clips centered on Wembanyama’s step-back 3s, finishes through contact and late-game exit to a standing crowd. (espn.com) (nba.com) Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, back in San Antonio, with the Spurs up 1-0 and Wembanyama already on the board with a franchise playoff-debut record. (basketball-reference.com)