Early imbalance and the scoreboard gap
The fifth game left Portland with nowhere to hide. San Antonio closed it out in style, winning 114-95 and moving on to the next round. From the opening tip, the home side got straight to work and made its first possessions count. Julian Champagnie (19 points, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc) and Stephon Castle (15 points) set the tone. The scoreboard read 36-24 after the first quarter. San Antonio shot 60%. Portland, by contrast, clanked its way through the perimeter game, missing 10 of 12 attempts.
The gap widened in the second quarter. San Antonio ripped off an 18-2 run and stretched the lead to 26 points at 54-28 after a bruising finish from Dylan Harper (17 points) and a tweak from Victor Wembanyama. Deni Avdija, who finished with 22 points, did his best to keep Portland within reach. At the half, it was 65-45.
Physical limits and a brief wobble
The third quarter brought a clear drop in efficiency from both sides. The shooting chart showed San Antonio at 26% and Portland at 30%. Even so, the lead held firm at 86-65.
The final period brought a response from the visitors. After starting 6-for-33 from deep, their outside shooting finally found a pulse. Jrue Holiday, Donovan Clingan (two points) and Sidy Cissoko (11 points) all knocked down long-range looks. A 17-5 burst cut the deficit to nine at 91-82, and San Antonio’s defense briefly lost its edge.
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The clock runs down and the numbers stack up
Mitch Johnson leaned on De’Aaron Fox (21 points, 9 assists) to see it through. The point guard scored nine straight and pushed the lead back out to a safe +14. Victor Wembanyama shut the door inside. Two vertical stops on attempts from Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara snuffed out the last real threat.
For the French center, the individual line was another statement. He finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals. He became the first player in league history to post at least 10 rebounds and 6 blocks in two straight playoff games.
For Portland, the exit exposed a familiar flaw. The shooting from outside never got close to acceptable, finishing below 25%, matching a season-long problem for a team that ranked 28th in the league at 34%. San Antonio now moves on to face either Denver or Minnesota. It’s the franchise’s first trip this deep into the postseason since 2017.
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