NBA Basketball

2026-04-21 - Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Portland Trail Blazers @ San Antonio Spurs
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 2
Tuesday 21st April 2026 - Scheduled 8pm EST
1am (British Time)

Preview

Game 1 of this First Round Series in the Western Conference was dominated by favourites San Antonio Spurs, but the Portland Trail Blazers may take some heart that they were still 'only' beaten by 13 points. With just a day of rest between the opening two games in this Series, the Trail Blazers will be looking to make the adjustments that may see them steal away home court advantage.

The main adjustment that will be needed to be made is dealing with Victor Wembanyama who massively impressed in his Playoff debut.

The best player on the San Antonio Spurs roster and the franchise face did it all- Wemby had 35 Points and 5 Rebounds with 2 Blocks, but it is the Defensive performance in stopping the Portland Trail Blazers shooters that will not show up on the stat sheet that will have gotten many to take note.

Records were set in the Game 1 win, but Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have to remember it is only 1-0 in a race to four wins.

Backing it up is the big test as San Antonio look to avoid a long, drawn out Series ahead of a potential Second Round Series against the Denver Nuggets.

The Spurs will be very happy with the numbers from Game 1 as they shot very well from the three point arc and won the battle on the boards. Everyone contributed around Victor Wembanyama and there will be a real confidence in the locker room ahead of Game 2.

For the Portland Trail Blazers, there were some positives to take from Game 1, namely the performance of Deni Avdija who had 30 Points with 10 Rebounds and 5 Assists, but the support crew will need to step up. Like in any Series, the adjustments made by one team have to be exploited by the other and Portland's roster have to be aware that the Spurs are likely going to want to close on Avdija and force the rest to beat them.

This is young group that will take a lot of experience away with them no matter how the First Round Series plays out, but Portland will not want to go away quietly. They only made 10-38 attempts from he three point range, while a number of players underperformed compared with the seasonal numbers and that will have to change.

Of course the Trail Blazers will know there is a big test for them against a very good San Antonio Defensive unit, but they will be expecting more from themselves in Game 2.

Ultimately it feels like Portland will come up short again, but the line is still a difficult one to read considering how games between these teams have played out all season.

Once again the 'under' looks the play with the total points line dropping a couple of points from Game 1, but perhaps not enough to ignore backing Game 2 to finish below that line again.

In recent years, a double digit favourite in Game 2 has made the 'under' a big player in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs with those games ending below the total line set in fifteen of twenty-one occasions over the last thirteen years.

Both of these teams are proud of the intensity they bring on the Defensive side of the court and the adjustments could see the Trail Blazers and Spurs focus on the two big names on each roster and force others to try and beat them.

The likelihood is that the Spurs will end up with a 2-0 lead when all is said and done, but the spread is still in an awkward spot and backing the under looks the right play for a second time in this Series.

Prediction

The total line has dipped a couple of points from Game 1, but the under still looks the approach to take in this First Round Series in the Western Conference.