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Spurs vs. Blazers: What to know about the playoffs

Madalyn Mendoza

Back view of a basketball player in a white jersey with the number 1, standing on a court in a packed arena; a bright blue LED banner runs along the stands behind him. — It's a playoffs debut for Victor Wembanyama and several of his teammates . Photo: Timothy Hurst/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The Spurs are back in the playoffs, opening their first-round series Sunday against the No. 7 seed Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center.

Why it matters: It's San Antonio's first postseason appearance since 2019.

State of play: The Spurs secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

San Antonio won two of three games against Portland in the regular season, including a 112-101 victory on April 8 without Victor Wembanyama or Stephon Castle.

The big picture: This is Wembanyama's playoffs debut after a dominant season.

He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. The Spurs outscored opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions with Wembanyama on the floor, per the NBA.

Between the lines: It also marks the Spurs' first playoffs since the mid-1990s without Gregg Popovich on the sideline, putting first-year head coach Mitch Johnson in the spotlight.

Spurs players Castle, Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant are also making their playoffs debut.

Threat level: Portland counters with breakout forward Deni Avdija, who posted career-best numbers this season.

The intrigue: The series also marks the return of Tiago Splitter — a fan favorite from the Spurs' 2014 championship team — to San Antonio, this time as the Blazers' acting head coach.

The bottom line: NBA writer Jeff Zillgitt picked the Spurs to win the series in five games.

What's next: Game 1 tips off at 8pm Sunday on NBC/Peacock.

Resale tickets start at more than $100.

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Spurs vs. Blazers: What to know about the playoffs

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