The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers had the same goal this season. They wanted to end lengthy playoff droughts as the first step toward becoming a regular postseason team. Both teams achieved that goal and now face each other in a first-round series opening Sunday night.
The Spurs are a young team led by Victor Wembanyama, hoping to secure their first signature playoff win as a group since 2017, when they reached the Western Conference Finals.
The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are a surprise playoff team. Portland hoped that the return of Damian Lillard would boost their chances, but Deni Avdija helped significantly improve the team’s fortunes with a breakout season as they climbed from 12th to 7th after a four-year postseason gap.
The Spurs earned the No. 2 seed with a 62-20 record, while the Trail Blazers secured the No. 7 seed with a 42-40 record and a win over the Phoenix Suns in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in tournament game last week.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Odds
Moneyline: Trail Blazers (+450) vs Spurs (-600)
Spread: Trail Blazers +11 (-106) vs Spurs -11 (-113)
Total (O/U): Trail Blazers o221 (-113) vs Spurs u221 (-107)
Editor’s note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Series History
The Spurs have enjoyed strong fortune against the Trail Blazers in past postseason matchups. The previous playoff meeting came in the 2014 Western Conference Finals, when the Spurs’ “Big Three” of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, and Tony Parker defeated a young Damian Lillard-led Portland team 4-1 en route to their fifth championship.
Before that, the two teams met in the 1990 Western Conference Finals, where the Spurs swept the Trail Blazers 4-0 to win their first championship.
They also met in the 1993 Western Conference first round, with San Antonio winning 3-1. Portland’s only postseason success in the matchup came in 1990, when they won 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Injury Reports
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
The Trail Blazers struggled to stay healthy throughout the season but appear to have gotten right at the perfect time. Damian Lillard is the only absentee as he continues recovering from ACL injury.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Report
Likewise, the Spurs also seem to be peaking in health at the right time. Victor Wembanyama, who has been dealing with a ribcage issue, is off the injury report. Dylan Harper, who sustained a thumb injury in the season finale loss to the Nuggets, is also fit enough to feature.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineups
Trail Blazers
PG: Jrue Holiday | SG: Scoot Henderson | SF: Toumani Camara | PF: Jerami Grant | C: Donovan Clingan
Spurs
PG: De’Aaron Fox | SG: Stephon Castle | SF: Devin Vassell | PF: Julian Champagnie | C: Victor Wembanyama
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction
The Trail Blazers’ defensive setup can frustrate potent teams, something we have seen quite a few times this season. However, San Antonio are just as strong defensively while also being highly efficient on offense, which could propel them to victory. Although the Trail Blazers beat the Spurs once in three regular-season meetings, that came in the absence of Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio were also extremely tough to beat at Frost Bank Center this season, finishing 38-2 at home, second only to the Thunder’s 34-7 mark. Overall, Wembanyama’s first playoff game is expected to be high-scoring, with the total projected to go past 221 points. They are 11-point favorites.
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