Victor Wembanyama's first NBA playoff game lasted three quarters before the contest was decided. By the time the final buzzer sounded Sunday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Wembanyama had scored 35 points — a franchise record for a playoff debut — added 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks, and led the Spurs to a 111-98 Game 1 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers that was closer in score than it felt on the floor.
The 35-point performance placed Wembanyama seventh in NBA history for points scored in a playoff debut, seven shy of the record of 42 set by Luka Dončić for Dallas in 2019. It was the kind of performance that validated years of anticipation while simultaneously suggesting the ceiling remains far above the result. Wembanyama shot 13-for-24 from the field and 6-for-12 from three-point range, demonstrating the combination of size and perimeter shooting that has made him uniquely difficult to defend since his 2023 draft. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Wembanyama told reporters after the game. "And it felt exactly how I expected — like everything was real, for the first time."
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