Coming off a heartbreaking Game 2 loss this past Tuesday, the Spurs traveled to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers for Game 3. Victor Wembanyama was ruled out due to concussion protocol. After a back-and-forth first half, the Spurs found themselves down by six going into the third quarter. The Blazers looked to be in control and built a 17-point lead. However, Dylan Harper helped kickstart a 21-5 run to end the quarter, only down by one. In the fourth, Harper and Stephon Castle took over. Behind
key stops from Carter Bryant and others, the Spurs began putting the pressure on Portland. Castle and Harper each traded buckets every time the Blazers failed to capitalize on offense. They were both simply unguardable. To close the game, Devin Vassell, Luke Kornet, and De’Aaron Fox sprinkled the finishing touches on a 120-108 victory to go up 2-1 in the series.
Stephon Castle led the way with 33 points (10-18 FG, 3-4 3PT, 10-11 FT), five assists, two rebounds, and a steal. Steph delivered one of the quieter 30+ point playoff games of all time. 19 of his 33 came in the first half, and he complemented Dylan’s scoring in the second half. He was efficient from the field, from three-point land, and from the free-throw line. Steph continues to slash his way no matter who steps in front of him, and he is not afraid to attempt tough contested midrange jumpers. A performance like this is a great sign for the Spurs for not only for this series, but for the foreseeable future.
ALLEY-LUKE! Steph fights his way into the paint and finds a cutting Luke on the lob connection!
CASH. Steph knocks down his first of three three-pointers in the game!
Flying to the cup! After the CB block, Steph takes the pass from Keldon Johnson and sprints up the floor for the finish between two Blazers!
TOUGH BUCKET. Steph gets fouled while shooting a midrange jumper, and it swishes through the net for the and-one!
DAGGER! Steph finds Luke for another alley-oop late in the fourth!
Dylan Harper dropped 27 points (9-12 FG, 4-5 3PT, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. Here are a few records that Dylan broke with his performance: Dylan (age 20) is the second-youngest player to score 20+ points off the bench in a playoff game (youngest – Kobe Bryant, age 18). He is also the youngest player in NBA history to score 25+ points in a playoff game. Dylan was having himself a decent game until the third quarter, when a switch flipped. After Scoot Henderson scored on Dylan, Henderson talked trash to Dylan, which resulted in a technical foul. Dylan took that energy and fueled his team. He exploded in the fourth quarter and emerged as the young star this team drafted him to be. He was uber-efficient from the field with a true shooting percentage of 92%. While Spurs fans are excited about Steph, they should be even more excited about Dylan’s potential.
Smooth as silk. Dyl spins off of Jerami Grant and finishes with a scoop layup!
Don’t jump! Dyl fakes out Donovan Clingan with a pump fake and drives in with a layup by switching his hands in midair!
HARP3R! Dyl drains his fourth three by catching the pass from Fox in the corner while in front of the Blazers’ bench!
UNGUARDABLE! Dyl leads the charge by spinning off of Jrue Holiday and finishing off glass in front of Henderson!
POSTER ALERT! Dyl drives past Henderson and yams all over Robert Williams III!
Bonus highlight: Luke drained his first three of the season at the end of the first quarter! Luke finished with a double-double: 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocks.
All in all, this was a hard-fought and gutty victory for the Spurs. Fox pitched in 18, Dev pitched in 11, Julian pitched in 9, and CB made hustle plays on both ends with three blocks. The emergence of both Steph and Dylan powered this team to a victory, and the series outlook has shifted to a less stressful time for Spurs fans. Wemby will be questionable for Sunday, but even if he does not play, look for the young guards to continue putting the rest of the playoff field on notice. Oh, but if Wemby plays, the outlook becomes even less stressful for the silver and black.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
Game 4 is this Sunday at 2:30 P.M. (CST) on ESPN.
