Portland Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter pointed directly to perimeter inefficiency after his team’s 111-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series on Sunday night.
“The Spurs put you in tough positions. Against them, you got to shoot the ball well from three,” Splitter said. “We didn’t have, you know, 10 for 38, 26%. So, you got to shoot the ball better.”
Splitter emphasized that execution beyond shooting also shaped the outcome at the Frost Bank Center.
“The possession games, I think they did a good job rebounding the ball. We couldn’t get offensive rebounds as we do usually. We took care of the ball. Only 10 turnovers. But overall, I think we play hard.”
He added that adjustments will come through review and preparation ahead of Game 2.
“We’re going to watch film. See what we can do better in our schemes and defense and offense. See what we can do better.”
A major tactical focus was defending Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 35 points in his playoff debut.
“We put different guys on him. We started with Toumani. Jerami has him a little bit when we went small. And our bigs also,” Splitter said. “He had an amazing game of course. 35 points, five for six from three.”
Splitter noted the difficulty of limiting the Spurs’ centerpiece in key areas.
“It’s really hard to take him out of the paint. I think we did a good job for the most part taking him out of the paint. Of course, he rolled a couple times… but those five threes really hurt us.”
The Blazers also struggled to capitalize on minutes when Wembanyama rested.
“Yeah, I thought we couldn’t make money out of those minutes. You’re right,” Splitter said. “I think we got to be better in those minutes for sure.”
Scoot Henderson’s performance was a positive note in the loss.
“He was great. He was taking advantage a little bit of that drop there, shooting those midies. He was effective. Overall, a good performance by Scoot.”
Splitter also reflected on Portland’s overall response in its first playoff test.
“It’s hard to say. I think they play hard. They try to follow the game plan,” he said. “We made some mistakes, of course. It’s the first time we play against Wemby this season.”
Looking ahead, he stressed urgency without panic in a seven-game format.
“It’s always the next one going on. Till you’re not done, you’re not done. So, you got to be ready for that.”
He also highlighted Deni Avdija’s matchup against elite rim protection.
“I thought we tried to do some stuff against him. Of course, he’s elite,” Splitter said. “Not an easy task. But Deni, I think, always finds a way to score.”
Splitter closed by acknowledging the atmosphere and Spurs legacy presence in San Antonio.
“I think people here have great memories of that 2014 team and I think it’s good to hear that and be recognized.”
