San Antonio Spurs advance after Game 5

The San Antonio Spurs closed out Portland 114-95 in Game 5 on Tuesday night and moved into the Western Conference semifinals. (espn.com) Victor Wembanyama finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks, and De'Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists at Frost Bank Center. (espn.com) (nba.com) San Antonio never trailed, led by 10 in the first quarter, by 20 early in the second and by 28 late in the half. Portland trimmed the margin in the fourth, but Fox scored 13 points in the final period to stop the push. (nba.com) Julian Champagnie scored 19 points and Dylan Harper added 17 as six Spurs reached double figures. The Spurs won the series 4-1 after taking the last three games. (espn.com) (nba.com) The win sent San Antonio to the second round for the first time since 2017. It was also the first playoff series victory for Wembanyama, Fox, Stephon Castle, Harper and coach Mitch Johnson. (espn.com) (nba.com) Wembanyama’s Game 5 line followed his return in Game 4 from a concussion suffered in the second quarter of Game 2. In Portland on Sunday, he had 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals in a 114-93 comeback win. (espn.com) The Spurs now wait for the winner of Denver-Minnesota. The Timberwolves led that series 3-2 entering Game 6 on Thursday, according to the league bracket. (espn.com) (nba.com) For a franchise that had not won a postseason series in nine years, Game 5 looked like a clean reset: a young core, a healthy Wembanyama, and another round still to play. (nba.com)