The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017 after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Victor Wembanyama recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds, and a playoff-career-high six blocks to anchor the Spurs' defense in the clincher. The Spurs built a commanding 65-45 halftime lead and held off a late Trail Blazers surge in the fourth quarter, with Wembanyama swatting away three shots in the period alone, including one over the backboard. De'Aaron Fox led San Antonio with 21 points and nine assists, while Julian Champagnie added 19 points and seven rebounds. Dylan Harper contributed 17 points, and both Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle scored 15 apiece as six Spurs players reached double figures.

Deni Avdija paced the Trail Blazers with a game-high 22 points, but Portland managed just 45 points before halftime and could not mount a sustained comeback. Jerami Grant added 12 points off the bench for the seventh-seeded Blazers.

The victory gave the second-seeded Spurs a 4-1 series triumph. San Antonio opened with a 111-98 win in Game 1 on April 19, then dropped a tight 106-103 decision in Game 2. The Spurs rebounded with a 120-108 road victory in Game 3 behind Castle's 33 points in place of the absent Wembanyama, who missed time due to a concussion. Wembanyama returned with 27 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and seven blocks in a dominant 114-93 Game 4 blowout.

Over the series, the Spurs outscored Portland 112.4 to 100.0 points per game, dominating the glass 44.4 to 40.6 rebounds and assists 24.6 to 21.4. Wembanyama averaged 21.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and stood out defensively, while Fox and Castle provided scoring punch.

This marks San Antonio's first playoff series victory since the 2016-17 season, when they reached the conference finals. Wembanyama, in his first postseason series after missing the playoffs in his initial two NBA seasons, anchored a young core featuring recent draft picks like Castle and Harper.

The Spurs now await the winner of the series between the third-seeded Denver Nuggets and sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, with Minnesota holding a 3-2 lead. Game 6 in that matchup is scheduled for later this week.