Spurs dominate Game 4 emphatically

The San Antonio Spurs came back from 17 down at halftime Sunday and beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-93 to take a 3-1 series lead. (espn.com) (si.com) Victor Wembanyama returned after missing Game 3 with a concussion and finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. De'Aaron Fox added 28 points. (espn.com) (foxsports.com) Portland led 58-41 at the break after a 33-point second quarter, then got outscored 33-16 in the third and 40-19 in the fourth. San Antonio won the second half 73-35. (espn.com) (si.com) The swing was historic. The NBA said San Antonio became the first playoff team to trail by 15 or more at halftime and still win by 15 or more. (nba.com) That changed the shape of the series in two games. San Antonio won Game 3 without Wembanyama for a 2-1 edge, then brought him back in Game 4 and pushed Portland to the brink. (si.com) (espn.com) Deni Avdija scored 26 points for Portland, but the Blazers could not sustain their early control once San Antonio tightened up after halftime. (espn.com) (si.com) Late in the fourth quarter, Avdija and Stephon Castle got into a shoving match as the game slipped away from Portland. (msn.com) (basketnews.com) Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio, where the Spurs can finish the series after turning a near-tie into a 3-1 advantage in 48 hours. (espn.com)