Spurs Sweep, Wembanyama Shines

0:00The San Antonio Spurs just punched their ticket to the Western Conference semi-finals, sweeping past Portland in five games for their first series win. Since 2019, they held the trailblazers under 100 points three times, capping it with a 114-95 victory in game 5. Victor Wimbongyama dropped 17 points with 14 boards and 6 blocks, while the Aaron Fox lit it up for 21. This young Spurs squad, with over half their core in the playoffs for the first time, including rookies like Stefan Castle and Dylan Harper, proved the doubters wrong after a 62 and 20 regular season that snagged them the West's second seed. No one expected their inexperience to be a non-issue, but they never trailed in the clincher and showed serious grit. Players and coaches are buzzing about the physicality ramping up, with technical fouls flying in skirmishes involving Castle, Fox, and Harper. Portland's Thiago Splitter called them a great team, led by their superstar Wimbongyama, who they deservedly beat.

1:00Even after Wimbongyama's scary fall in game 2 put him in concussion protocol, missing games 3 and 4, the Spurs rallied from 15 down 2, still that one without him. San Antonio dominated defensively, ranking top 3 in efficiency all year, and averaged 5 dudes in double figures per game, while Wimbongyama. Posted 21 points, nearly 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks across the series. Coach Mitch Johnson, in his playoff debut, preached staying true to their identity amid the intensity. Now they await the Denver Minnesota winner, where the Denver Wolves lead 3-2 with game 6 Thursday night. Wimbongyama says they're hungry for tougher tests, turning this experience into fuel for a deeper run. Local news, powered by AI, this is El Paso News today.