It’s déjà vu all over again. Another sold out Moda Center, another 15+ point second half lead for the Portland Trail Blazers, and another double digit loss—114-93—to the San Antonio Spurs. The Blazers now see themselves in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-7 series, setting up a do-or-die Game 5 against the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday.
Sure, some of the particulars may be slightly different from Friday’s Game 3 loss. One being that, like a middle linebacker in the “concussions are fake news” NFL, Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama came off the injury list after suffering minor brain trauma within the week. His superb second half largely propelled the Spurs’ win as he finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and an incredible 7 blocks. Once again, the Spurs’ physicality and second half defense suffocated the Blazers.
Second year big man Donavan Clingan’s nightmare continued finishing with 5 points and 6 rebounds on an abysmal 2-10 from the field. Portland’s Deni Avdija scored 26 with 5 unfortunate turnovers before fouling out in frustration late. Jrue Holiday, for his part, added 20 points to go with his own 6 turnovers as the Blazers offense could only muster 35 second half points.
The vibes in the Rose Garden started strong for the early afternoon tip off. Blazer fans followed acting head coach Tiago Splitter’s post-game 3 advice and brought the well-caffeinated energy. Fans were treated to black Rip City Runs Deep rally towels on their seats (still no t-shirts). They roared to start the game, even drowning things out with an “Airball” chant on a missed three by Wemby—the first collective “Airball” chant I’ve seen at a non-college basketball game. Rip City was out for blood, or at least cold brew coffee.
The Blazer bus arrived, coming out humming like the Trimet rapid transit lanes on MLK to start the game. The struggling Jerami Grant seemingly found his footing with 11 first half points on 3-5 shooting (1-2 from three), finishing the game with 17. And the Blazer defense threw the entire kitchen sink at Wemby. Whether it was backup center Robert Williams III, forward Grant, or even the small-guard Holiday guarding him, Wemby struggled to score early with only nine first half points on 4-12 shooting (he also didn’t shoot a first half free throw). The Blazers led by as much as 19, out hustling the Spurs with 11 fast break points to the Spurs one, and seven second chance points to the Spurs zero. At the half, the Blazers looked to be cruising with a 17 point lead.
However, the wheels on the Blazer bus fell off their axles pretty much immediately after starting the second half. All the Blazer faithful in attendance could do was rubberneck as the crash turned into a slow-moving 21-car pileup. To start the second half, Portland did not score for the first four and a half minutes. The 17 point lead evaporated to four points before an Avdija steal and layup temporarily stopped the bleeding. But the Spurs were relentless. Even as the two teams finished the third quarter tied, that wouldn’t last long.
“In the second half we mentally broke down and couldn’t get over the fact that we were up and just let them back in the game,” said Splitter in a post-game press conference. “The turnovers, live ball turnovers. And it was unbelievable the way [Wembanyama] guarded the rim. We couldn’t get anything at the rim, we didn’t make threes, we have to find solutions for that.”
While Blazer fans tried to manifest a win with a truly weird Jerami Grant third-eye mindfulness exercise on the jumbotron, and millennials in attendance rejoiced to the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” winning the fan vote in the “Be the DJ” promo over the likes of Bon Jovi and Neil Diamond, it wasn’t enough to stop the likes of San Antonio.
The Spurs started the fourth on a 16-3 run, then never looked back.
The peak of Blazer frustration came when Deni Avdija fouled Stephon Castle hard on a layup attempt. Castle pushed the ball back into Avdija’s arms instigating some minor back and forth shoves. In the end Avdija allegedly called Castle a “pussy ass bitch.” Both players were called for a technical foul, but the game was already decided. Fans started making their way towards the exit with around four minutes to go. Even end of the bench Spur (and former Blazers “legend”) Mason Plumless checked into the game for the final minute. He was not welcomed with applause.
“It was a totally different game [than Friday night],” said Splitter. “Obviously we were playing great, and they were playing not so great. Then it was the opposite. I’m not a psychologist. We just have to be better. Hold our composure, be better poised. All of us.”
While technically not yet eliminated, the Blazers’ playoff hopes look pretty doomed. If they somehow avoid a gentleman’s sweep Tuesday, the Blazers would need to win another two in a row to advance.
The silver linings are few. In all likelihood, this was the last home game at the Moda Center for the 2025-2026 season. I savored my last Rip City Semi-Legal Post-Game Hot Dog while riding my bike home in the beautiful Sunday sunlight. Hey, it also means Blazer owner Tom Dundon likely won’t have to pay for another playoff fan promo Thursday—possibly saving the billionaire THOUSANDS of dollars.
