The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers took very different paths on their way back to the playoffs after prolonged droughts. San Antonio far exceeded expectations, a 62-20 season that no one saw coming, built on the talents of a young core that appears to have skipped a step or two in just Victor Wembanyama’s third season. Portland on the other hand had a challenging season, the most profound challenge being a head coaching change in just the 2nd game of the season following Chauncey Billups being put on indefinite suspension by the NBA following his arrest in a federal gambling investigation. Billups was replaced by none other than former Spur and 2014 NBA champion Tiago Splitter. The rookie Splitter, who had only joined Billup’s staff in June and had never been a head coach before this season. has been credited with holding down the fort in Portland, leading them to both a 6-game improvement from last season and their first playoff berth since 2021. That playoff trip was sealed with a clutch victory on the road in Phoenix in the Western Conference 7/8 seed game.
Which brings both teams to San Antonio tonight for the final game of the 2026 Playoff’s first weekend. While San Antonio won the season series 2-1 and come into this series as a heavy favorite, there are still some unknowns. Most notably, Victor Wembanyama missed all 3 regular season meetings between the two squads, with San Antonio winning both games at the Frost Bank Center. With Wemby in the fold for the first time all season against Portland, in San Antonio’s first home playoff game of the Victor Wembanyama era, the Blazers will really have their work cut out for them if they want to steal Game 1.
San Antonio Spurs (0-0) vs Portland Trailblazers (0-0)
April 19 2026 | 8:00 PM CT
Watch: NBC | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Line: San Antonio -10.5
Spurs Injuries: None
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Blazers Injuries: None
What to watch for
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Tonight will feature plenty of players getting their first taste of the postseason, but Victor Wembanyama’s first ever playoff start is the main reason everyone is interested in this one. The French phenom has been everything fan’s hoped they were getting when he was drafted in 2023 and more, both as a franchise player and as a human being, so it’s not too surprising to see him leading San Antonio back to the playoffs so quickly into his career. He and Portland’s frontcourt have yet to see one another, but you can be sure that Wembanyama will make it a point to both get acquainted with fellow 7-footer Donovan Clingan early and that San Antonio’s defense is locked in from the jump.
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Tonight’s game will feature 13 players making their playoff debuts, with 7 coming from the Spurs and 6 for the Blazers. That means there could be some chaos early on as both teams look to settle the butterflies that presumably come from playing in an NBA playoff game for the first time. Being at home for Game 1 should go a long way in making sure that San Antonio is the one who settles in first. Notably for the Spurs, tonight is current longest-tenured Spur Keldon Johnson’s first ever playoff game!
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Deni Avdija has been a breakout player for Portland this season. The 6’8 small forward had a career year in his 6th season, averaging career-best marks in points (24.2), field goal attempts (16.1), assists (6.7), and both free throw attempts (9.2) and percentage (80%). It was his 41 point outburst during the Play-In game in Phoenix that kept Portland within striking distance in a tough environment. Avdija’s and-1 on a layup with 15 seconds left put the Blazers up for good.
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2-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday might be on the back-9 of his NBA career, but the 16-year vet was a key contributor in steering the ship in Portland this season. He missed a stretch of 27 games in November and December with a calf injury, but has been on the court more or less consistently since making his return in January. Long known as one of the NBA’s premier wing defenders, Holiday’s influence on that end went a long way for the Blazers in the second half of the season, as they finished just outside the top 10 in defensive efficiency for the year. It’ll be a treat getting to see Spurs’ guard Stephon Castle face off with the experienced veteran and champion Holiday in his first postseason action.
If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!
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