The San Antonio Spurs were truly one of the contenders this NBA season to win the title, and they had been showing it in this series against the Portland Trail Blazers, pulling off a comeback in Game 4 while adding the healthy return of Victor Wembanyama, who thanked his staff for the work done.
After the game, Wembanyama credited the Spurs’ medical staff for being the unsung heroes who helped nurse him back to full health. “The Spurs have done an amazing job. I’m very happy about the way the protocol has been handled by all the parties. But my staff has been amazing. I’ve been really healthy starting on day one after the injury. Injury was weird, though, it was funny,” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Malika Andrews in his postgame interview.
They were now in a commanding position after taking a 3-1 series lead, and to make matters even more promising for the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama was cleared to return from a concussion on Sunday.
The big game from the Spurs and Wemby
On Sunday in Game 4 of their NBA playoffs first-round matchup against the Blazers, they stormed back from a double-digit deficit early in the game to win by double digits once more, 114-93.
Victor Wembanyama before a Spurs game.
Wembanyama proved to be every bit the difference-maker he had always been, as he did not look like he was suffering from rust or anything of the sort, as evidenced by his 27-point, 11-rebound, four-steal, and seven-block night. And yes, you are reading that right, 7 blocks on the night, tremendous.
On the Blazers side, Deni Avdija scored 26 points and Jrue Holiday added 20, but they were the only Portland starters who scored in the second half. And it was not enough against the Spurs’ depth, even more so with Wemby healthy.
The importance of Wembanyama would be fundamental for the Spurs’ playoff run. We were talking about a generational young player, surely something never seen before in the NBA, already being Defensive Player of the Year and on the podium for MVP. Hopefully, he stayed healthy, and we could enjoy this young team alongside Stephen Castle, Dylan Harper, and even Devin Vassel.
