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The San Antonio Spurs fell 106-103 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at Frost Bank Center, evening the Western Conference playoff series at 1-1 in a game shaped by Victor Wembanyama’s concussion exit and a late Portland surge.
De’Aaron Fox led San Antonio’s backcourt effort with 17 points, but the postgame focus quickly shifted to how the team adjusts moving forward without its centerpiece.
“I mean, obviously that’s a big piece that’s going to be missing, but we’ve played games without him,” Fox said. “The entire team has to step up because he leaves a big hole in the lineup, both offensively and defensively.”
Wembanyama exited earlier in the game after entering concussion protocol, forcing the Spurs into a rotation shift that tested their late-game structure against Portland’s physical defense.
Fox acknowledged the difficulty of replacing that level of impact but emphasized continuity within the group.
“You say next man up mentality, but the entire team has to step up,” he said. “We got to be ready to play without him.”
The Spurs built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter before Portland closed the game on an 11-2 run, holding San Antonio scoreless from the field over the final 3:37.
Fox pointed to execution rather than opportunities as the deciding factor in the closing stretch.
“I think we got some good looks that we just weren’t able to make,” Fox said. “You move on.”
Portland’s defensive length and physical perimeter coverage became a central issue late, with Fox acknowledging the Blazers’ ability to limit space in isolation situations.
“They have long defenders. They’re physical,” he said. “They don’t give up a lot of catch and shoot threes. And that’s what we expected.”
The Blazers’ frontcourt presence, anchored by Robert Williams III and Donovan Clingan, also impacted San Antonio’s spacing and rim pressure throughout the fourth quarter.
Fox noted that Portland’s scheme aligned with pregame scouting expectations.
“We knew the type of team that they were,” he said. “They beat us at their game.”
Scoot Henderson’s 31-point performance added another layer of difficulty for San Antonio’s defense, though Fox avoided framing it as an outlier.
“He’s going to come out and shoot like that,” Fox said. “If he’s got to get 30 and they win by three, I think we’re in a decent spot.”
The Spurs’ defensive approach also included stretches of physical perimeter coverage, which Fox believes should be consistent across both teams.
“If they’re going to be officiated and let them be physical, just let us be physical back,” he said.
San Antonio now heads into Game 3 in Portland needing to stabilize late-game execution while potentially adjusting without Wembanyama’s two-way presence.
Fox, however, kept the focus on response rather than circumstances.
“We continue to play the way that we play,” he said.
