Top News

Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter assessed a second-half collapse after his team’s 114-93 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series on Sunday at Moda Center.

Splitter did not hide the turning point when speaking after the game, saying, “Second half, I thought we mentally kind of break down, couldn’t get over the fact that we were up and then they just came back to the game.”

He pointed directly to execution issues that swung the momentum. “Didn’t shoot the ball well. Turn over the ball, live turnovers, get to transition, dunk, threes,” Splitter said, outlining how San Antonio converted mistakes into fast-break production.

Portland led by 17 in the first half, but the Spurs erased the gap and controlled the closing stretch behind Victor Wembanyama’s rim protection and De’Aaron Fox’s scoring surge.

He added that perimeter inefficiency compounded the issue. “We didn’t make threes. Try to find solutions for that,” Splitter noted, pointing to the Blazers’ second-half shooting drop.

The coach also highlighted a sharp statistical swing that shaped the result. “We made the first half. I think we were 7 for 16 or something like this. And then second half, we was three for 15. So, that’s a big change there.”

San Antonio’s defensive pressure and Portland’s turnovers proved decisive, with Splitter stressing the transition damage. “Those turnovers in the second half led to just in the second half led to 23 points in transition,” he said.

Looking ahead to Game 5 in San Antonio, Splitter kept his evaluation direct. “Well, definitely tonight not great. That’s a fact. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to hide it,” he said.

Still, he framed the situation through the lens of a young roster. “This young group of guys, you got to understand that we’ve been in situations like this before throughout the season,” Splitter added.

He reinforced the team’s approach moving forward. “We’re going to fight one by one. It’s going to change. This group is a special group. They’re going to keep fighting.”

On adjustments for the next game, Splitter confirmed evaluation mode. “We’re going to see all the options, what does look better, what’s not.”

He also stressed the shared responsibility for the collapse. “It’s all of us. Coaches, players, we all got to be better. It’s part of it. When you lose, you got to take it on the chest.”

With San Antonio now holding a 3-1 series lead, Portland faces elimination pressure heading into Game 5 on Tuesday, where Splitter’s lineup decisions and late-game execution will again be under scrutiny.