The Portland Trail Blazers had a tough task against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night: handle Victor Wembanyama using center Deandre Ayton and a little help, then score enough to outpace the rest of the Spurs.
As it turned out, the plan had no chance of working. Portland lost Jerami Grant and Scoot Henderson before intermission, leaving their defense extended and their offense impoverished. Wembanyama pasted 23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on them. To their credit, the Blazers held Wemby to 7-18 shooting and forced him into 7 turnovers.