Victor Wembanyama scored 35 points in his NBA playoff debut — surpassing Tim Duncan's 1998 San Antonio Spurs record of 32 — as the Spurs (the storied Texas franchise that won five NBA championships between 1999 and 2014) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 111–98 on Sunday to take a 1–0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. Wembanyama also set a league record for most points in the first half of a playoff debut, tallying 21 before the break, as San Antonio built a 17-point lead before holding off a late Portland rally. Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox added 17 points each for the Spurs, while Deni Avdija led Portland with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.