Victor Wembanyama targets return as Spurs manage injury timeline

Solid work was put in from the San Antonio Spurs in containing a scrappy Portland Trail Blazers team that has been one of the toughest competitors this season.

Portland, meanwhile, appears unsatisfied with interim coach Tiago Splitter, who stepped in amid Chauncey Billups’ legal issues and is already searching for a new head coach for next season, a puzzling move considering the Brazilian has done an admirable job with limited resources. Even in defeat, the Blazers once again showed grit and determination.

The win went to a Spurs team now sitting at 61 victories against 19 losses. However, they are mathematically eliminated from catching the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference after OKC beat the Clippers the same night. The gap between the two best teams in the West stands at three games.

Portland, in ninth place, remains a step or two below that level. The final score at the Frost Bank Center was 112–101, closing out another night where San Antonio’s depth proved decisive.

Wemby set to play again before Spurs season ends

Victor Wembanyama didn’t take the court, though he was present on the bench. He’s dealing with a rib injury that has already been examined twice. The issue dates back a couple of days, and the diagnosis is relatively positive. There’s no serious damage, and his recovery being monitored day by day.

The plan is for him to play at least one more game before the end of the regular season. But why take the risk when the Spurs have essentially locked up second place in the West? Because money and awards are on the line.

Wembanyama is aiming to reach the widely discussed threshold of 65 games played, which would make him eligible for major NBA awards, including MVP, an honor the French star is targeting, as well as Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA selections. He needs to log at least 20 more minutes to qualify.

Head coach Mitch Johnson is fully aware of both the requirement and the player’s desire to get back on the court at least once more before the postseason - his first, and one he has every reason to approach with high expectations.

San Antonio closes out the regular season at home against Dallas and Denver before shifting focus to what comes next. Glory, and financial incentives, are both in play, as so often in the NBA.

De’Aaron Fox (25 points) and Keldon Johnson (20) led the way for the Spurs, while Deni Avdija (29) and Toumani Camara (18) stood out for Portland. San Antonio controlled the early stages of the game, setting the tone through ball movement on offense and active defense in passing lanes - hallmarks of their identity. It wasn’t until after halftime that they built what felt like a comfortable lead, hovering around double digits rather than smaller margins.

The Blazers made a late push, cutting the deficit to six with three minutes remaining—a commendable effort—but they couldn’t complete the comeback against one of the NBA’s elite teams.

Other NBA results

• Cleveland Cavaliers 122 – Atlanta Hawks 116
• Orlando Magic 132 – Minnesota Timberwolves 120
• Phoenix Suns 112 – Dallas Mavericks 107
• Los Angeles Clippers 110 – Oklahoma City Thunder 128
• Denver Nuggets 136 – Memphis Grizzlies 119
• Detroit Pistons 137 – Milwaukee Bucks 111

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San Antonio Spurs

Stats

30 Julian Champagnie
24 Devin Vassell
7 Luke Kornet
4 De'Aaron Fox
2 Dylan Harper
40 Harrison Barnes
18 Bismack Biyombo
11 Carter Bryant
55 Harrison Ingram
3 Keldon Johnson
0 Jordan McLaughlin
8 Kelly Olynyk
22 Mason Plumlee
43 Lindy Waters III

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
30 Julian Champagnie	26	2	4	0	4	3	0	0	2	0/0	1/3	0/3	0	1
24 Devin Vassell	30	14	8	0	8	1	1	2	0	2/3	3/6	2/7	0	2
7 Luke Kornet	26	10	5	1	4	6	0	2	1	0/0	5/6	0/0	0	0
4 De'Aaron Fox	34	25	5	1	4	7	4	3	0	2/3	7/14	3/6	0	3
2 Dylan Harper	32	13	6	2	4	4	4	2	2	0/0	5/12	1/2	0	2
40 Harrison Barnes	26	9	2	0	2	2	3	1	0	5/6	2/2	0/2	0	2
18 Bismack Biyombo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
11 Carter Bryant	24	17	5	3	2	4	1	1	0	0/0	1/3	5/6	0	3
55 Harrison Ingram	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
3 Keldon Johnson	28	20	8	4	4	1	2	2	1	4/5	8/12	0/3	0	1
0 Jordan McLaughlin	8	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	2/2	0/1	0/0	0	0
8 Kelly Olynyk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
22 Mason Plumlee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
43 Lindy Waters III	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0

Portland Trail Blazers

Stats

8 Deni Avdija
33 Toumani Camara
23 Donovan Clingan
0 Scoot Henderson
5 Jrue Holiday
91 Sidy Cissoko
16 Yang Hansen
2 Caleb Love
24 Kris Murray
4 Matisse Thybulle
1 Blake Wesley
35 Robert Williams III
11 Chris Youngblood

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
8 Deni Avdija	37	29	6	2	4	6	6	0	0	2/4	12/18	1/3	0	3
33 Toumani Camara	39	18	4	1	3	6	2	3	1	0/0	3/4	4/8	0	2
23 Donovan Clingan	28	11	11	3	8	5	0	1	3	0/0	1/2	3/5	0	2
0 Scoot Henderson	38	20	3	0	3	2	1	3	1	3/4	4/11	3/9	0	0
5 Jrue Holiday	31	13	10	2	8	6	3	0	0	0/0	5/10	1/7	0	3
91 Sidy Cissoko	8	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/1	0	2
16 Yang Hansen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
2 Caleb Love	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
24 Kris Murray	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/1	0	2
4 Matisse Thybulle	24	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0/0	0/3	0/2	0	1
1 Blake Wesley	4	2	2	0	2	0	1	0	0	0/0	1/3	0/1	0	0
35 Robert Williams III	12	4	7	3	4	1	2	0	0	0/2	2/3	0/0	0	0
11 Chris Youngblood	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0