Spurs advance with Game 5 win

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 on Tuesday night, winning their first-round series 4-1 and moving into the Western Conference semifinals. (nba.com) (apnews.com) San Antonio never trailed in Game 5 at Frost Bank Center. The Spurs led by 10 early in the first quarter, by 20 early in the second and by 28 late in the first half. (nba.com) De’Aaron Fox finished with 21 points and nine assists, and Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Julian Champagnie scored 19 points, and rookie Dylan Harper added 17. (apnews.com) (espn.com) Portland’s top scorer was Deni Avdija with 22 points. The Trail Blazers cut the deficit in the fourth quarter, but Fox scored 13 points in the final period to stop the comeback. (espn.com) (nba.com) The result gives San Antonio its first playoff series victory since 2017. It is also the first series win for Wembanyama, Fox, Stephon Castle, Harper and coach Mitch Johnson. (nba.com) Wembanyama also reached a rarer benchmark on the way through the series. According to NBA.com, he became the first player since Patrick Ewing in 1994 to post consecutive playoff double-doubles with at least six blocks. (nba.com) The bracket is not fully set yet for San Antonio’s next series. The Spurs are waiting for the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves matchup, which Minnesota led 3-2 after Game 5. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) San Antonio closed the round in five games after opening the series with wins of 111-98, 120-108, 114-93 and 114-95, with Portland’s only win a 106-103 result in Game 2. (nba.com) For a Spurs team that had not won a playoff series in nine years, Game 5 ended the wait without needing a sixth trip to Portland. (nba.com)