If the Portland Trail Blazers could have surrendered at halftime in Game 5 of their first-round playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs, they might have taken that offer just to catch an earlier flight back to Portland. Over the course of four quarters, the Blazers trimmed a 28-point Spurs lead down to 9, but they never seriously threatened on their way to a 114-95 loss and a 4-1 exit from the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Whatever gameplan the Blazers were trying to execute in the first quarter was quickly
put on ice by the sharp shooting of Julain Champagnie, going 3-4 from deep. Whatever adjustments Tiago Splitter and the coaching staff tried to implement heading into the second quarter were non-existent due to the lack of shooting by the Blazers and red-hot counter-shooting by the Spurs. Memories of the 2014 playoffs, second round close out game against the Spurs were coming back to me.
It’s probably a good thing the NBA requires teams to play two halves in a game because the Trail Blazers did make adjustments at halftime in order to make the final score respectable. But the Spurs’ closer, De‘Aaron Fox (The Blazers Killer), would finish with a team-high 21 points on 8-14 shooting with 9 assists. Everyone will remember Victor Wembanyama and his jaw-dropping 6 blocks, but it was Fox who would drive the nails in Portland’s coffin in this game and series.
Here are five points of extended analysis from the game.
Turnovers
Controlling the tempo and not giving up easy baskets both center around turnovers. This was a talking point heading into the series due to the fact that the Blazers were last in the NBA in turning over the ball at 17+ a game. The Spurs apply a ton pressure in the backcourt while having Wembanyama lurking in the back line. Surprisingly, the Blazers only committed 9 turnovers in Game 5 to the Spurs’ 16. Both teams would convert the miscues into 13 points. That wasn’t good for the Blazers. If you’re going to force seven more turnovers, you better score more points off those mistakes.
Rotations and Adjustments
Tiago Splitter and the coaching staff have made minor adjustments in the series, but when you’re facing elimination on the road against a superior team, it’s time to try something new. In Game 5 Vit Krejci and Sidy Cissoko played meaningful minutes for the first time in this series. Krejci would play 13 minutes and Cissoko 20 to help lead the comeback for the Blazers. It was also clear that Shaedon Sharpe was in the dog house after his poor defensive showing in Game 4.
It’s tough to say the Blazers needed to make adjustments earlier in the series because they did hold 15+ point leads in Games 3 and 4, but playoff series are all about adjustments and it was good to finally see the team mix it up.
Drive and Kick
The Trail Blazers did a much better job in driving and kicking to the open shooter tonight. Deni Avdija led Portland with 22 points on 7-15 shooting and was looking to get his teammates involved. The fact that Avdija only had three assists indicated that his teammates were not knocking down shots, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. To be fair, Deni was only 1-6 from the three-point arc as well. The Blazers would finish 11-47 from deep, a whopping 23%. That won’t get it done at the YMCA, let alone against Wembanyama and the Spurs in a close-out game. Portland had 15 wide open looks from long range. Those shots just didn’t fall.
Pick and Roll
At the end of the day, the Spurs’ pick and roll was too much for the Blazers. The mismatches San Antonio can throw at you would give any team trouble. The Spurs slept through the third quarter and most of the fourth, but when it was closeout time, the Fox/Wembanyama pick and roll became a consistent source for points. Throwing Donovan Clingan on an island with Fox is not a recipe for success, but switches made it happen. Predictable results followed.
Player of the Game
Robert Williams III played inspired basketball for the 17 minutes he was on the floor. Rob would finish with 11 points, 7 rebounds and a +/- of -4 in a game that was largely a blowout. He was aggressive around the rim, rebounded in the traffic, and held his own when switched out onto the perimeter. Clingan would end up with the start tonight because of his three-point shooting, but Rob played a fantastic all-around game and quite frankly may have been the best Blazers player in the series.
Up Next
The Blazers now head into the offseason with exit interviews, trade rumors, contract decisions, Summer League, and more! Stay tuned for all the twists and turns from now until the end of summer!
