The Spurs are headed back to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017 after finishing off the Blazers with a 114-95 victory on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.
San Antonio used a decisive performance to pull away and secure the series-clinching win, ending Portland’s postseason run. The result marked a significant step for the Spurs, who had not advanced beyond the opening round since their last trip to the conference semifinals seven years earlier.
San Antonio closes the series
With the Game 5 win, the Spurs eliminated the Blazers and moved on in the Western Conference playoff bracket. The 19-point margin reflected San Antonio’s control by the final buzzer, as the team completed its first-round assignment at home on Tuesday night.
The victory restores the Spurs to a stage of the playoffs that had long been familiar during the franchise’s previous era of sustained success, but one they had not reached since 2017.