The Spurs are on to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2017.
The San Antonio squad advanced in the 2026 postseason after defeating the Trail Blazers in an emphatic Game 5 win on Tuesday night. Portland, to its credit, battled back from quite an early deficit to bring things within nine points in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs ran away with it in the end. Final: 114–95.
As expected, San Antonio big man Victor Wembanyama came up huge during the contest, finishing with 17 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and perhaps most importantly, six blocks (one of which will certainly be the stuff of legends—see below).
WEMBY SENDS IT TO SPACE 👽
— ESPN (@espn) April 29, 2026
Even his dad couldn't believe the block. pic.twitter.com/y8utrhoxuF
When you add his seven blocks from Game 4 to that total, the Alien is now the third San Antonio player with 13 blocks over 2 postseason games, joining franchise greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
Overall, it was an excellent playoff debut for the former No. 1 pick; he may have missed one full contest and most of another with a concussion, but he still ended with an average of 21 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 4.0 blocks across four games.
Speaking with the media after the fact, Wemby reflected on his first-ever first-round series and addressed some of the chatter surrounding the team's appearance (mainly that they are perhaps a bit too young to handle the postseason).
“Definitely different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over, and also playing the same team over and over again,” he observed. “But we’re all competitors, so ... it’s good. It’s all fun.”
Of the talk of inexperience, meanwhile, which clearly doesn't bother him, he added: “We know each other much more than anybody outside knows us and we trust each other. But for me, I’m not even really trying to avoid that, it's jut not a thing.”
Although the Blazers stole one game in the five-game series, the Spurs won the other four games by a decent margin. Wemby believes that the team stayed true to itself in its success.
“We did discuss not changing what we do, just correcting little things and doing everything you’re saying, but better,” he noted, maintaining that the team's identity held up “great.”
“And we’ve kept trusting the game plan. ... We resorted to going back to the game plan and going back to trusting each other in moments where it was hard. So that’s a statement in how much we trust each other and how much we trust the process.”
The Blazers, though, “give great resistance,” he added. “It’s fun to play against them.”
With the clock dwindling in the fourth quarter and the Spurs up by 19, coach Mitch Johnson subbed out his starters, who had themselves a little moment on the bench.
Also asked about that moment postgame, Wemby—no stranger to a little postgame passion—attributed the emotion to “a step well done, you know?
“I’m personally happy to see things moving forward and in the right direction.”
San Antonio will next face the winner of Nuggets-Timberwolves in the second round. Minnesota currently leads that series 3–2.
More NBA from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Why LeBron James Doesn’t Want to Be Like Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony When He Retires
- The Celtics’ Biggest Problem Right Now Is the Disappearance of One of Their Best Players
- Why LeBron James Says He’s Never Compared His Game to Michael Jordan’s
- Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for LeBron James, Scottie Barnes, Magic-Pistons)
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Victor Wembanyama Said After Winning First Career Playoff Series.
