Wembanyama’s playoff debut

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 April 19. (nba.com, espn.com) He made five 3-pointers, added two blocks and scored 21 points before halftime at Frost Bank Center, where the Spurs led 59-49 at the break and never trailed again after the opening minutes. (nba.com, espn.com) The 35 points set a Spurs franchise record for a playoff debut, passing Tim Duncan’s 32 points from 1998. The first-half total also set the highest opening-half scoring mark in a playoff debut since the league’s play-by-play era began in 1997. (espn.com, abcnews.go.com) San Antonio entered the series as the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed after a 62-20 regular season, and Sunday was the franchise’s first home playoff game since 2019. Portland arrived as the No. 7 seed at 42-40. (espn.com, nba.com) The debut landed the way the Spurs have spent two seasons imagining: Wembanyama as the center of a playoff offense and the back-line defender who changes shots even when he does not block them. National Basketball Association.com said he became the only player in league history with at least 35 points and five 3-pointers in a playoff debut. (nba.com, nba.com) The supporting cast mattered too. De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle scored 17 points each, and Fox finished with eight assists as San Antonio shot 48.8% from the field and held Portland to 42.7%. (espn.com, nba.com) Portland still got 30 points from Deni Avdija, but the Trail Blazers could not match San Antonio’s shotmaking or size after halftime. The Spurs won the third quarter 28-23 and stretched the margin to 15 entering the fourth. (espn.com, espn.com) Coach Mitch Johnson said afterward, “I thought he was ready,” and Wembanyama treated the night like a starting point, not a finish. Game 2 is next in San Antonio with the Spurs up 1-0 and their 22-year-old star already on the playoff record sheet. (espn.com, nba.com)