Clément Pédron, Media365: published on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 2:23 pm
On Tuesday night into Wednesday, San Antonio qualified for the second round of the playoffs with a fourth victory over Portland. Victor Wembanyama expressed his satisfaction.
A step forward for San Antonio. On Tuesday night into Wednesday, the Spurs secured a fourth victory (114-95) against the Portland Trail Blazers, earning them a spot in the NBA playoffs’ second round. While awaiting to know whether they will face the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves, Victor Wembanyama spoke at a press conference after the fifth and final game of the series played at the Frost Bank Center. “It was good,” the Frenchman said in comments quoted by L’Équipe. “We started off well. It’s never perfect, but it’s exactly what we had talked about wanting to do before the match. Pressure? I don’t know how my teammates manage it, but they all seem to be handling it very well.”
San Antonio secured their first qualification for the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-2017 season. This victory against the Oregon franchise speaks volumes. In his third season since joining the United States, Victor Wembanyama is finally experiencing the excitement of this playoff phase.
Wembanyama: “Trust in our strategy”
On Tuesday night into Wednesday, the 22-year-old Chesnay native contributed to his team’s success with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists. An important performance, but not yet at the level he has shown throughout the regular season. Nevertheless, the power forward/center is determined and leads his teammates. “I imagine we know each other much better than anyone on the outside, and we trust each other,” declared “Wemby” in the press conference. “It’s simply not a problem. We gain experience day by day. It was just one example of how a series can unfold. It’s a good way to start the playoffs. We gained experience, and I’m always eager for even more exciting encounters.”
A series victory with a score of 4-1, and San Antonio now has its sights set on the future. And in this regard, the former player of the Mets de Boulogne-Levallois knows exactly what his team should rely on. “Our identity? It’s fantastic. We decided not to change our way of doing things, but simply to make some minor adjustments and do everything the same way, but better. And we continued to trust in our strategy. What I particularly appreciate is that we were able to return to this strategy and trust each other in difficult moments. It shows how much we trust ourselves and how much we believe in our method.”
