The San Antonio Spurs dethroned the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday night.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 35 points in his playoff debut and set an NBA record for the most opening-half points of 21.
Wembanyama’s 35 total points set a Spurs franchise record for the most in a playoff debut, surpassing Tim Duncan’s 32 in 1998.
Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox each added 17 points and combined for 15 assists for San Antonio.
On the other hand, Deni Avdija tallied 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blazers, which beat Phoenix 114-110 in Tuesday’s play-in game to earn the No. 7 seed.
Scoot Henderson added 18 points.
Meanwhile, San Antonio included Duncan and former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer David Robinson, sitting together courtside at the Frost Bank Center, who were primed for the franchise’s first playoff game since 2019.
The six-season postseason drought followed the Spurs’ five NBA championships, during which they appeared in a league-tying 22 straight postseasons.
Castle and Wembanyama ignited the Spurs’ scoring, combining for 19 of the team’s 30 points in the first quarter.
For Portland, Henderson made a 3-pointer and a breakaway layup and opened the second half on an 8-0 run to trim a 16-point deficit in the first half to a 59-57 lead by San Antonio.
The Spurs clamped down defensively to regain their double-digit lead, with Luke Kornet and Devin Vassell each blocking Portland’s Donovan Clingan on the same possession in the third quarter.
Vassell went on to hit two straight 3-pointers to give the Spurs a 72-61 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in San Antonio before the series heads to Portland for Games 3 and 4.
