Victor Wembanyama poured in 30 points and tied a career high with 10 blocked shots as the host San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 114-94 win over the struggling Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
The Spurs turned a close game into a decisive victory with a 13-2 run late in the second quarter that helped them build a 16-point lead at halftime.
San Antonio stoked the margin to 18 by the end of the third quarter and was up 93-69 when Wembanyama hit two free throws before heading to the bench with 10:12 to play.
San Antonio has won two straight outings and four of its past five.
Charles Bassey tied a career high with 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Spurs. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson added 11 points each, and Jeremy Sochan tallied 10.
Shaedon Sharpe put up 25 points for the Trail Blazers, who have lost seven of their past eight contests. Anfernee Simons added 18 points, Deandre Ayton amassed 14 points and eight rebounds, and Scoot Henderson hit for 12 points off the bench.
The Spurs led for the majority of the first quarter and were up by eight points after a driving layup by Sochan at the 3:28 mark before settling for a 25-20 advantage at the period’s end.
Portland tied the game early in the second quarter and was down just 41-39 when Ayton hammered home a dunk with 4:10 to play in the period.
The Spurs then created some separation with a 13-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Chris Paul with 1:32 left until the break. The hosts expanded their lead to 60-44 entering halftime after Wembanyama’s 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining.
Wembanyama’s 11 points paced the Spurs in the first half. San Antonio outshot the Trail Blazers 50 percent to 36.7 percent over the first two quarters.
Sharpe led all scorers with 16 before halftime but was the only Trail Blazer with more than six points.
San Antonio never let Portland closer than a dozen points in the third quarter. The Spurs pushed their advantage to as many as 19 points on four occasions in the period before a Simons free throw with 3.5 seconds remaining trimmed the gap to 87-69 heading into the final quarter.
–Field Level Media
