Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox led the way as the San Antonio Spurs erased a 19-point deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-93 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their NBA playoff series on Sunday. Wembanyama, back after missing game three because of a concussion he sustained in game two, scored 27 points with 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and seven blocked shots.
“I had lots of emotions in me before the game, obviously,” said Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and in the running for Most Valuable Player. “Excitement, frustration, so I let it all out tonight,” added the 22-year-old Frenchman. He praised the doctors who oversaw his path through the NBA concussion protocol but voiced dissatisfaction with the process that requires a gradual return to physical activity under medical supervision. “The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said, declining to elaborate.
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Fox led all scorers with 28 points, and the Spurs outscored the Trail Blazers 73-35 in the second half to move within one win of advancing to the Western Conference semi-finals. They’ll try to clinch the best-of-seven series when they host game five on Tuesday. Wembanyama said they need to get off to a better start in the next game. “We need to find the answers before having our backs against the wall,” he said. “But that also shows the strength of our team. In adversity, we stick together. We get closer to each other. We feed off each other’s energy.”
Deni Avdija scored 26 points and Jrue Holiday added 20 for the Trail Blazers, but they were the only Portland starters who scored in the second half.
– Celtics rout Sixers –
The Boston Celtics crushed the 76ers 128-96 in Philadelphia to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series and a chance to close it out at home on Tuesday. Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points with seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who led by 16 points after one quarter and by double digits the rest of the way. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 26 points and 10 rebounds in his first game since an emergency appendectomy on April 9. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points, but the 76ers couldn’t counter the Celtics’ rain of 24 three-pointers.
In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 points apiece as the Raptors held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 to knot their Eastern Conference series at 2-2. The Raptors trailed by five with 2:10 left to play but powered to the lead with a 9-0 scoring burst and held on. Both teams struggled offensively, the Raptors making a dismal four of 30 from three-point range. Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the Cavs, and James Harden added 19, but Mitchell missed two attempts in the final 30 seconds as Barnes made six free throws down the stretch to seal it.
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