Victor Wembanyama's Historic Playoff Debut Prompts Trail Blazers' 111-98 Loss in Game 1

Deni Avdija and Victor Wembanyama starred in a historic battle of postseason first-timers, but the Blazers didn't have enough in a series-opening 111-98 defeat.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama drives to the basket between Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara and center Donovan Clingan during the first half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers’ first playoff appearance since 2020-21 offered a spirited, valiant effort, but even that wasn’t enough to stand eye-to-eye with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2025-26 Most Valuable Player Award finalist ran up a 35-point performance that both rewrote the NBA’s history books, and helped steer a series-opening 111-98 win. On Portland’s side, Deni Avdija led the way with an almost-equally-noteworthy 30-point, 10-rebound showcase. Here’s what stood out from Game 1’s result:

Too Much "Wembanyama Drama"

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama dunks ahead of Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant during the first half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

It just so happens that Portland will get the first opportunity at answering it, but across the Western Conference, could-be title contenders will be forced to ask themselves one identical question.

How on Earth are we going to contain Victor Wembanyama?

The Blazers, wisely, ran through every scenario. It began with the gifted Toumani Camara, whose spirited attempts sometimes kept the Spurs’ superstar away from his usual spots. Inevitable switches also allowed six-time All-Defensive Teamer Jrue Holiday a chance, and his quick hands and lower center of gravity sometimes worked; Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams III were among the others to take their stab.

In the grand scheme of things, those efforts mattered not; Wembanyama tossed in 21 points over the first two quarters — a first-half record for a NBA playoff debut — absolutely looking the part with fellow Alamo greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson in attendance.

WEMBY IN TRANSITION IS UNFAIR 👽

Behind the back.
Spin.
SLAM.

He's up to 9 PTS midway through the 1Q in his postseason debut! pic.twitter.com/3XHnoIrxBR

— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2026

The only bright spot was that Deni Avdija wasn’t far behind, with his 19 opening-half points leaving him just one shy of tying that exact same record. And speaking of …

No. 8’s Search For a No. 2

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija shoots during the first half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Any Blazers fan who took note of the first half’s box score likely found one statistic difficult to ignore:

Avdija had seven made field goals and the aforementioned 19 points.

The rest of the starters? Four combined field goals —  one each — for 10 points.

And somehow, the Blazers only found themselves behind by 10.

The “Robin” to Avdija’s “Batman” varies on a night-by-night basis, but it took quite some time —  perhaps, a fraction too long — to determine who that No. 2 scorer might be.

Shaedon Sharpe showed flashes, but 10 points on 13 shot attempts won’t cut it. At other times, it appeared Williams III was “the guy,” but a franchise should consider itself in a difficult situation if that’s the secondary scorer. 

It was inspiring to see Scoot Henderson eventually assume the role; in between his defiant, determined scowl, he continued the inspiring scoring stretch that helped rewrite the story arc of his 2025-26 season. 11 of his efficient 18-point scoring run arrived in the second half, in which the Blazers, remarkably, had chances to actually take the lead.

The Game’s Turning Point

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle dunks ahead of forward Keldon Johnson during the first half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

During the second half of NBC’s broadcast, Hall of Famer Reggie Miller remarked that Portland didn’t necessarily need to be an elite 3-point shooting team — merely one that hit on timely attempts. It simply wasn’t meant to be for a team whose accuracy fluctuates from flickering-hot to ice-cold within an eye’s blink.

The Blazers are playing with “house money,” as underdogs, but they’re likely to remember the third quarter’s 8:46 mark, in which they had four different chances to either tie or take the lead. What followed? Three turnovers in quick succession and a missed 3-pointer; a culmination of some of their worst tendencies at the worst time.

A triple from Julian Champagnie sparked 2014-like vibes. Longtime Blazers fans will remember that series; buoyed by their home crowd, the Spurs followed with a 26-11 run that created enough distance that kept Portland in a “close-but-yet-too-far” scoreboard scenario the rest of the way.

Game 2 Outlook

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) converts an alley-oop for a dunk during the first half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Portland has long proven itself to be the type of team that — regardless of the deficit — will remain undaunted in their fight. 

A wrinkle to watch will come in how they tinker with matchups to guard the Spurs’ many weapons. Game 1’s likely-to-be-discussed story will talk about their decision to have 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan basically guard his collegiate teammate Stephon Castle — a 6-foot-6 guard —  on the perimeter. 

In theory, it makes sense; though he’s an improved shooter, Portland would probably much rather deal with a Castle pull-up than something Wemby-related. In Game 2, do they adjust, and allow the others to “get theirs,”so long as Wembanyama doesn’t become a gamebreaker on the box score?

Quickly glimpsing at the box score, it’s likely that Portland gets improved play from Jerami Grant in Game 2; in 19 minutes, he had a -25 plus-minus. The same goes for Jrue Holiday, a proven postseason performer too talented to repeat his offensive performance in Game 1e (4-of-15, though with a game-best 11 assists). 

Finding that secondary scorer for Avdija earlier could be key to a Game 2 upset, but for Portland, that’ll have to wait until Tuesday, Apr. 21, as the two teams meet up again on NBC and Peacock at 5 PM PT.