Victor Wembanyama, Spurs Battle Back From Down 19, Beat Trail Blazers in Game 4

PORTLAND, Ore. — Most things can be for better or for worse. Heading into the locker room at halftime, the Portland Trail Blazers hoped they weren't facing the latter.

Up by 17 points in Game 4 of their Western Conference First Round Series against the San Antonio Spurs, Portland had a simple blueprint to even the series 2-2: remain poised.

As fans headed for the exits at Moda Center with around four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, it was clear they hadn't. A 38-point swing marked the second straight come-from-behind victory by the Spurs. This time, they had Victor Wembanyama in tow.

“We executed the things we wanted to start the game on better," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of his squad's 114-93 Game 4 victory. "There wasn’t a ton of new(ness)."

After clearing the NBA's concussion protocol Sunday afternoon, Wembanyama suited up and played 34 minutes — many of them spent climbing out of a hole the Spurs blame themselves for digging. His 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks were proof of the effort.

"We had to figure out a way to play the right way," De'Aaron Fox said.

Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) and guard Devin Vassell (24) help forward Victor Wembanyama (1) off the court during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Coming out of halftime, San Antonio embarked on an 11-0 run to cut Portland's lead to six points. Citing a lack of ball movement, a surplus of turnovers and poor shot selection, necessary adjustments helped the Spurs take their first lead with 4:05 to play in the third quarter. From that point on, they never trailed by more than three.

“We need to find those answers before having our back(s) against the wall," Wembanyama prefaced before praising his teammates. "That also shows the strength of our team. In adversity, we stick together … we feed off each other’s energy.”

Added Fox: "That’s big for any team to come out and win both games on the road."

Fox led both teams in scoring with 28 points, while Wembanyama, whose stat line made him the first player since Bill Walton (1977) to have 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks in a road playoff debut, flanked him.

Here’s #Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after today’s win: pic.twitter.com/zrvq1w4zk7
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) April 26, 2026

Deni Avdija finished with an efficient 26 points; Scoot Henderson went scoreless. The Trail Blazers were left with more questions than answers in the aftermath.

"Tough team to play against," Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant said.

Now with a 3-1 lead heading back to San Antonio, the Spurs plan to hone their ability to start strong. If all goes to plan, they can save themselves another trip to Portland.

They won't be too quick to put themselves in line to secure a spot in the second round, however. Rather, they'll appreciate lessons learned from two road games.

“It gives you a lot of takeaways," Johnson said. "A lot of feedback on things you’ve got to be better (at) ... a lot of really good things that lead to great, competitive responses.”

Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers is set for Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m. Central on ESPN.

Add us as a preferred source on Google