It was a comeback night because after missing one game due to a concussion, Victor Wembanyama returned to the floor, leading San Antonio to another victory in Portland, while Joel Embiid unexpectedly appeared in the Philadelphia team, who had an appendectomy less than three weeks ago, but that did not help the Sixers against the Celtics…
In Portland, the Spurs trailed by 17 points at halftime, but in the second half they outscored the Blazers by 35 points, while scoring as many as 77 for a convincing 114:93 victory and a chance to close this series in the next game at home. The returning Wembanyama excelled at both ends of the field, but he was especially impressive in defense – nothing less is expected from the unanimously chosen defensive player of the year – with seven blocks and four steals. As the wonderful Frenchman and De’Aaron Fox combined for 55 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, Portland was left without a real chance to tie this series in the second half.
– The way the situation around my concussion was handled is quite disappointing – Wemby said after his return.
– I won’t say that missing the third game was a good or bad decision. It was a decision, I won’t say good or bad, but everything about it was disappointing. I don’t want to go into details, I don’t want to distract from important things, ask me again at the end of the season.
Whatever happened, and obviously the medical service of San Antonio made some wrong steps, did not affect the team, which with two away victories is now in complete control of its destiny.
– We had to find answers before we find ourselves in front of the wall. But all this showed our character, how we react under pressure. We stayed together, we fed off each other’s energy – concluded Wembanyama.
COMEBACK COMPLETE pic.twitter.com/sfapJR4X3L
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 26, 2026
The match also brought a lot of tension, so natural for the NBA playoffs, so two and a half minutes before the end, Deni Avdija and Stephon Castle “hooked”, the first player of Portland pushed away last year’s rookie of the year after one duel.
– You can play hard, physically, but there is a level of disrespect that I will not accept – Avdija briefly commented on the incident.
The Spurs-Blazers series now returns to San Antonio, with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday night ET.
A new match between the Celtics and the Sixers is scheduled then, after the “punishment battalion” from Boston roared against Philadelphia for two away victories and a 3-1 lead. This time there was no dilemma, Payton Pritchard was the top Celtics scorer with 32 points, Jayson Tatum scored 30, with 11 assists, Jaylen Brown added 20 points for a 128:96 victory.
Luka Garza scored six points and added three rebounds and two assists.
Heading back home 3-1 pic.twitter.com/TDXgJFPi8H
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 27, 2026
– Pritchard is a guy who simply finds his game, he dictates our rhythm. He did a good job in this game. He is aggressive when we are at our highest level – pointed out Joe Mazzulla, coach of Boston, writes Sportske novosti.
On the other hand, Embiid, who returned 17 days after appendicitis surgery, was cleared to play 40 minutes before the game, which he finished with 26 points in 34 minutes. However, the Sixers center would not talk about his problems…
– What should I do? Should I cry over my fate?
Coach Nick Nurse, on the other hand, was quite clear:
– In Boston, we have to show the mentality of a team that is able to recover from such a defeat.
Whether the Sixers will succeed in this also depends on the Celtics, who no longer want to return to Philadelphia, Tatum and Brown with the most joint play-off games in the league in the last eight years have enough experience to know how to close this with the first “match-ball”.
The Lakers did not take advantage of the opportunity to win the conference semi-finals first, even though Kevin Durant did not appear in the Houston team in the fourth game either. A wrist injury, which would keep him off the floor for two to three weeks in the main part of the season, dramatically threatened the Rockets’ ambitions, but with a double-digit starting five, they still managed to return the series to Los Angeles. It was a game in which Houston took control of the score very early, while the Lakers were never able to threaten a turnaround. With a uniform attack in which five players scored between 16 and 22 points, the Rockets ended up winning 115:96, with the fact that they were more convincing than the result shows.
LeBron James played one of the worst playoff games of his wonderful career for the Lakers, he shot two of nine from the field for only 10 points, while losing as many as eight balls…
RESULTS:
EAST
Toronto Raptors – Cleveland Cavaliers 93:89 (2-2; Barnes 23p, 9s, 6a, 3b, Ingram 23, Barrett 18p, 8s, Murray-Boyles 15p, 10s/Mitchell 20p, 6s, Harden 19p, 8a, Merrill 14, Mobley 8p, 9s, Allen 3p, 15s)
Philadelphia 76ers – Boston Celtics 96:128 (1-3; Embiid 26p, 10s, Maxey 22p, 6a, George 16p, 4s, Grimes 12p, 6a/Pritchard 32p, 4s, 5a, Tatum 30p, 7s, 11a, Brown 20p, 7s)
THE WEST
Portland Trail Blazers – San Antonio Spurs 93:114 (1-3; Avdija 26p, 7s, Holiday 20p, 6s, 4a, Grant 17p, 5s/Fox 28p, 6s, 7a, Wembanyama 27p, 12s, 3s, 4ul, 7b, Castle 16p, 8a, Vassell 11p, 6s, 3a)
Houston Rockets – Los Angeles Lakers 115:96 (1-3; Thompson 25p, 4s, 7a, Eason 20p, 8s, 5ul, Šengün 19p, 6s, Sheppard 17p, 3a, 3ul, Smith 16p, 8s, 3a, 3ul/Ayton 19p, 10s, Hachimura 13, James 10p, 4s, 9a)
(Vijesti.ba)
