Victor Wembanyama scores 35 in playoff debut as Spurs win, Thunder and Celtics dominate opening games
French MVP contender leads San Antonio to victory while defending champions Oklahoma City and Boston cruise to wins; Magic stun top-seeded Pistons
Quick Look
- Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 35 points in his NBA playoff debut to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1.
- The French MVP contender added 21 points in the first half as the Spurs took the series opener.
- Defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Phoenix Suns 119-84, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 25 points.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The NBA playoffs began with several dominant performances from top seeds, while the eighth-seeded Magic pulled off a major upset against the top-seeded Pistons. Detroit has not won a home playoff game since 2008, extending to 11 consecutive losses.
Victor Wembanyama starred on his NBA play-off debut as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98. Wembanyama, one of three contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, scored a game-high 35 points, including 21 in the first half, as the Spurs won game one of the best-of-seven series. "It's good to get this one out of the way," the Frenchman said. "We just tried to do the things we've been doing all year and stay solid. There was pressure on us to win the first game, but it wasn't that much pressure if we just stayed to the plan."
Elsewhere, defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics both made dominant starts to the post-season. The Thunder - the number one seeds in the Western Conference - thrashed the Phoenix Suns 119-84, led by last year's Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Jayson Tatum scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists - and Jaylen Brown added 26 points - as the second-seeded Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic stunned Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit Pistons 112-101 to take a 1-0 lead in their seven-game series. Victory for the eighth-seeded Magic, who qualified for the play-offs via the play-in tournament, extends an unwelcome NBA record for the Pistons, who have not won a post-season game at home for 11 matches dating back to 2008. Forward Paolo Banchero starred with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists, to help the Magic overshadow Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham's play-off best haul of 39 points.
"[We] didn't come out with the right energy, gave them life early on," said Cunningham. "Then we had to deal with that for the rest of the game. There's no confidence drop from us. It's going to be a long, fun series."
Open Questions
- Will the Trail Blazers adjust their defense for Game 2?
- Can the Pistons break their home playoff drought?
- Will Wembanyama maintain this scoring pace?
