The San Antonio Spurs nearly let a 28-point lead slip away, but they got it done.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, after a very dominant start, held on late to grab a convincing 114-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. That gave San Antonio the 4-1 win in the playoff series and then them into the next round.

This is now the first time since the 2016-17 campaign that the Spurs have made it out of the opening round of the playoffs. They had gone six straight seasons without even making the playoffs before ending that drought this spring. 

The Spurs will now take on either the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves in the next round. The Timberwolves hold a 3-2 lead in that series entering Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Spurs wasted no time on Tuesday night. They opened the game on a 15-4 tear, and took a 12-point lead into the second quarter after shooting 60% from the field in the first 12 minutes. Wembanyama was limited to just two points and a single shot attempt — an easy dunk he threw down — and the Spurs still cruised. 

The second quarter was more of the same. San Antonio started the period outscoring Portland 18-4 to help build up a 20-point advantage by the time the two teams entered the locker room. Julian Champagnie had 14 points in the opening half, and San Antonio held Portland to just four made 3-pointers. Everything was working for the Spurs. Devin Vassell, a 6-foot-5 guard, even found a way to stuff 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan at the rim. 

Wembanyama turned it on a bit in the second half, and converted a wild and-one layup through Robert Williams after a ridiculous spin move.

While the Trail Blazers opened the fourth quarter with a run of their own, and even cut the game to single digits briefly after a big stretch from Sidy Cissoko, the run just came too late. De’Aaron Fox took over late and scored 11 of the team’s first 18 points in the fourth to help keep the Trail Blazers at bay and secure the 19-point win.

Deni Avdija led Portland with 21 points, and Jerami Grant added 12 points off the bench. Fox finished with 21 points and nine assists for San Antonio, and was one of six Spurs players to hit double figures. Julian Champagnie added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Stephon Castle had 15 points. They shot 55% from the field.

Wembanyama had 17 points and 14 rebounds with six blocks on the night, which was just one shy of matching the amount of field goals he attempted throughout the contest. Wembanyama ended up missing just a single game in the series after he went down with a scary concussion in Game 2. He returned for the team’s 21-point win in Portland on Sunday, and dropped 27 points with seven blocks in the process. 

Though Portland isn’t the opponent that either the Nuggets or Timberwolves would be at full strength — both teams are dealing with their respective injury issues in that series — the Spurs clearly look like a team that is very balanced and ready to make a real run in the playoffs this spring.