PORTLAND (Interstat) — Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 on Saturday at Moda Center. Wembanyama added seven rebounds, three assists and one block as San Antonio improved to 8-2. Devin Vassell scored 15 points, Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie each had 14, Dylan Harper added 13 and Keldon Johnson finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. De’Aaron Fox added eight points and six assists. Deni Avdija led Portland with 15 points. Scoot Henderson scored 13, Damian Lillard had 12, Jrue Holiday added 11 off the bench and Chris Youngblood scored 11. Yang Hansen posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who fell to 6-3. Attendance at Moda Center was 19,916.

San Antonio set the tone early behind Wembanyama, who opened the scoring with a 25-foot 3-pointer. Castle and Wembanyama followed with 3-pointers as the Spurs built an early cushion. Wembanyama added a 2-foot shot, Vassell made a technical free throw and Dylan Harper hit a turnaround jumper. Luke Kornet and Vassell also scored as San Antonio moved ahead. Portland answered with points from Avdija, Henderson and Hansen, and Avdija closed the first quarter with a 25-foot 3-pointer. San Antonio led 22-20 after the first quarter, then broke the game open in the second. The Spurs outscored Portland 42-29 in the second quarter, turning a close game into a 64-49 halftime lead. Carter Bryant hit two 3-pointers in the period, Champagnie and Vassell connected from beyond the arc, Castle finished an alley-oop dunk and Wembanyama scored inside and at the free-throw line. Fox also got to the line repeatedly as San Antonio’s offense found rhythm.

The decisive stretch came in the third quarter. San Antonio outscored Portland 45-27 in the period and pushed its lead to 109-76 entering the fourth. Castle opened the quarter with a running dunk, and Wembanyama followed with a short jumper and an alley-oop dunk. Castle and Fox connected on 3-pointers, and Wembanyama added another alley-oop dunk, a tip-in dunk and a 25-foot 3-pointer. Vassell made three free throws during the surge, and Harper scored on a driving layup and a step-back 3-pointer. Champagnie closed the third with a 3-pointer. Portland received 3-pointers from Avdija, Lillard and Micah Potter, along with baskets from Henderson and Holiday, but the Trail Blazers were overwhelmed by San Antonio’s run. Wembanyama’s scoring burst inside and from deep was the central force in the quarter, and the Spurs’ defense kept Portland from mounting a response.

San Antonio kept control in the fourth quarter. Keldon Johnson scored in the paint and Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer and made a driving layup to help the Spurs maintain a comfortable lead. Jordan McLaughlin and Tarris Reed added late baskets for San Antonio. Portland’s bench produced some scoring late, with Youngblood hitting from 3-point range and Hansen scoring inside and at the free-throw line. Jayson Kent and Micah Potter also contributed in the fourth, but the Trail Blazers never threatened San Antonio’s lead. The Spurs finished with a 22-point margin after leading by as many as 36. San Antonio’s bench closed the game with Reed’s dunk and McLaughlin’s 3-pointer, while Portland got late free throws from Hansen to set the final score.

San Antonio shot 40 of 90 from the floor, 17 of 44 from 3-point range and 28 of 30 from the free-throw line. Portland shot 35 of 84 from the field, 9 of 35 from beyond the arc and 24 of 30 from the line. The Spurs had 14 offensive rebounds to Portland’s eight. Portland finished with nine assists to San Antonio’s seven, while San Antonio had seven blocks to Portland’s three. The Spurs committed 16 turnovers and 30 fouls. Portland committed 17 turnovers and 20 fouls. San Antonio scored 125 points from 106 possessions, an offensive rating of 117.6. Portland scored 103 points from 107 possessions, an offensive rating of 96.0. The Spurs’ efficiency and edge on the offensive glass helped offset Portland’s slight assist advantage, and San Antonio’s 17 made 3-pointers gave the offense additional separation.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Portland 111, San Antonio 108. Interstat’s ELO system had projected San Antonio with a 70.6 percent probability to win. San Antonio was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -5.5. The over/under line was 229.5, with the game’s total score at 228.