In their hearts, the Portland Trail Blazers would feel like they should have a 3-1 series lead. For a second-straight home, and both at home, they lost a double-digit first-point lead. The Spurs have found ways to overcome large deficits and completely take control in the second half. It was frustrating for Portland, with matters turning into a near altercation in the fourth quarter. All-Star Deni Avdija couldn’t handle Stephon Castle’s provocation.

After another uncontested layup for the Spurs, Castle intentionally pushed the ball into Avdija’s chest. The Trail Blazers forward took exception, pushing the former ROTY. It resulted in a heated moment after Castle’s push in response. Both players received technicals, but Avdija seemed to think the Spurs star should have been punished more since Castle was the instigator.

“I don’t play those games. It’s not who I am. You can be tough, you can be, you know, physical, but there’s a level of disrespect that I’m not going to I’m not going to accept. You know, he’s done a lot of provocation… He does a lot of provocation throughout the whole game. And I think uh at one point it was just disrespectful,” the Trail Blazers forward said after the game.

Stephon Castle battled the road environment by embracing the crowd’s pressure. Even in early moments in the game, the Spurs’ dynamic guard talked trash to the Trail Blazers bench and did other things to upset the home team. Because the crowd was always going to be on their side. Castle chose to be the thorn in the building. On the court, he scored 18 along with eight assists, turning the ball over just once.

As for his moment with Avdija, Charles Barkley agreed the officials were harsh towards the All-Star forward. The NBA legend felt Stephon Castle should have received a double-technical for starting the incident and later pushing Avdija. Such moments aren’t uncommon in the playoffs.

An ejection would undermine the intensity of the postseason. But Avdija isn’t wrong to feel disrespected since Castle poked him after when Portland was already down and out.

The Trail Blazers lose their heads again

The Trail Blazers led by 17 before the break, a bigger lead than they had in Game 2. But again, the Spurs needed one rejuvenated third-quarter run to completely flip the script. They won on a 23-4 run to start the third, limiting them to four points in the first eight minutes of the quarter. Head coach Thiago Splitter seemed disappointed during his press conference, calling it another mental breakdown.

“I thought we mentally kind of like break down. We couldn’t get over the fact that we were up and then they just came back into the game,” said the Trail Blazers head coach.

He pointed to the Spurs’ defense. Notably, Victor Wembanyana’s return established control inside the paint. The unanimous DPOY recorded seven blocks and four steals. The Trail Blazers didn’t have the path to a fluent offense since Wemby was guarding the rim.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson pointed to execution being the greatest factor behind the team’s rampant third-quarter comeback. The Spurs were able to play selfless basketball, but also had De’Aaron Fox lead the burst with a sensational offensive display.

“Might have been his best game as a Spur. I thought he dominated the game in every way,” Johnson said about Fox’s 28 points and 7 assists effort. “I think De’Aaron had the disposition we were looking for… I thought he completely took over the game.”

Led by Fox’s 18 second-half points, the Spurs shot 65.9% since the beginning of the fourth quarter. They outscored the Trail Blazers 73-35, winning by a margin of 21 points. Despite the lack of experience, this team has shown resilience, winning games without Wembanyama and finding multiple weapons over these two road games.

With a 3-1 lead and things going back home, the Spurs will look to finish this series early. For the Trail Blazers, they will have a short turnaround to get over their mental lapses. This contest could have looked very different. But the Spurs deserve credit for showing composure even when buried under an intimidating deficit.