Victor Wembanyama has Trail Blazers running out of answers before Game 5

Then San Antonio erased everything. The Spurs outscored Portland 73 to 35 in the second half and turned a 17-point deficit into a 21-point win.

That kind of collapse does more than shift a box score. It changes the emotional weight of a series.

Portland went from having a chance to make Game 5 feel like a coin flip to walking into Frost Bank Center facing elimination. Robert Williams III called it do or die, and that is exactly where the Blazers are.

Wembanyama changed the game when he stopped settling

The first half gave Portland a workable formula. Wembanyama drifted toward jumpers, and San Antonio’s offense looked easier to contain.

That changed after halftime. Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, and four steals, and his shot profile told the story.

He had eight of his 10 second-half shots in the paint. All five of his second-half field goals were dunks, including four lobs.

That is the swing Portland has to survive tonight. When Wembanyama is catching the ball near the rim, the Blazers start defending panic instead of defending structure.

Donovan Clingan has the size to bother him in moments. Robert Williams has the athleticism and physicality to give Portland a different look. Neither answer matters enough if Wembanyama is sprinting into lobs, rolling free, and forcing weak-side defenders to choose between a dunk and an open shooter.

De’Aaron Fox gave San Antonio the calm Portland lacked

Wembanyama created the gravity, but De’Aaron Fox gave San Antonio control. Fox had 28 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, and Mitch Johnson called it his best game as a Spur.

That matters because young teams usually need a guard who can steady a playoff game when everything gets loud. Fox did that in the second half.

He got downhill. He took the space Portland gave him. He made the easy read when help came.

San Antonio finished with 24 assists, and Stephon Castle added 16 points and eight assists. The Spurs had more than one way to organize the game once Portland’s defense started cracking.

That is the challenge for the Blazers. Loading up on Wembanyama opens Fox. Pressuring Fox too aggressively creates lob windows and corner passes. Game 5 requires Portland to be connected for 48 minutes, because San Antonio punished every loose coverage in Game 4.

Portland cannot feed the Spurs’ transition game again

The Blazers committed 18 turnovers in Game 4. San Antonio turned those mistakes into 23 transition points.

That cannot happen in an elimination game. Portland already has to manage Wembanyama’s rim protection in the half court. Live-ball turnovers turn that burden into a full-court problem.

The Spurs outscored the Blazers 52 to 38 in the paint, and many of those chances came once the game sped up. Portland lost the ball, lost matchups, and lost its defensive floor balance.

San Antonio’s defense also changes the way guards play. Wembanyama sits behind the action and lets Castle, Fox, and the perimeter defenders gamble harder. Passing lanes feel smaller because every mistake has a 7-foot-5 eraser waiting behind it.

Portland needs cleaner possessions from the first quarter. The Blazers cannot spend the night giving San Antonio the exact fuel that broke open Game 4.

Scoot Henderson has to answer tonight

Scoot Henderson’s Game 4 was brutal. He went 0 for 7 and did not score.

That performance cannot follow Portland into tonight. The Blazers need rim pressure, pace, and some kind of downhill creation beyond Deni Avdija.

Avdija gave Portland 26 points and seven rebounds in Game 4. He did enough to give the Blazers a chance. The problem was the lack of guard pressure once San Antonio tightened up.

Scoot does not need to rescue the season by himself. He needs to make the Spurs guard him. He needs to force rotations, touch the paint, and create enough stress to stop San Antonio from loading its entire defensive attention toward the same places.

Portland has available bodies. Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, Robert Williams, Clingan, and Henderson are all expected to play, while Damian Lillard remains out with an Achilles injury.

The Blazers still have enough to make the Spurs work. They need their guards to make the game uncomfortable again.

The Blazers have one path left

Portland’s path is narrow, but it is clear. Keep Wembanyama farther from the rim. Use Williams’ mobility and Clingan’s size in different stretches. Protect the ball. Win the first six minutes after halftime.

That last part matters most. Game 4 did not get away from Portland slowly. It flipped with force.

The Blazers have shown they can lead San Antonio. They have also shown how quickly they can lose their grip once Wembanyama starts dominating the paint and Fox starts controlling tempo.

Tonight is Portland’s last chance to turn a good half into a complete game. The Spurs have the star, the series lead, and the home floor. The Blazers have one night left to prove they can survive the Wembanyama swing before San Antonio closes the door.