Victor Wembanyama returns for Spurs, delivers harsh lesson to Trail Blazers

After missing the San Antonio Spurs' Game 3 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday while he was in the NBA's concussion protocol, Victor Wembanyama was back in the lineup for Game 4 on Sunday. 

He dominated in the Spurs' 114-93 win, and, in the process, helped deliver a very harsh lesson to an up-and-coming Trail Blazers team that still has some things to learn. 

Trail Blazers threw heavy punch but aren't ready for prime time (yet)

At halftime, the Trail Blazers owned a 17-point lead and looked like they were in a great position to tie the series at two games apiece.

It was an impressive start, and a pretty big punch at the Western Conference's No. 2 seed. It was also another example as to how there is a lot to like about this Portland team for the long haul, and that it is building something with a young core headlined by Deni Avdija. 

The problem for the Trail Blazers is that first-half punch was probably the best one they had, and they allowed San Antonio to get up off the mat early in the third quarter. The Spurs opened the second half on an 11-0 run to get back into the game, before eventually outscoring Portland by a 33-18 margin in the frame to take the lead. They ended up limiting Portland to just 35 points in the entire second half.

It was the type of game and performance that made two things crystal clear.

The first is that Portland, for as good as its young core is, still has a lot to learn about finishing games in the playoffs and how to win. There is a massive difference between regular-season games and the pressure of the playoffs, and sometimes, you have to get knocked down a little before you can take the next step. 

Experience fixes that. Or at least helps with it. 

The second is that San Antonio has the best player in the series, one of the best players in the league, and that nobody in the Portland lineup has the freakish skills and talent to match up with Wembanyama. It is still missing one big piece that can bring everything together. 

There is nothing that can fix that in the middle of a playoff series. 

Wembanyama was all over the floor, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and seven blocks, while also finishing as a game-best plus-28. He was a menace at both ends of the floor, and it was one of the biggest differences in the game. 

Portland missed its chance to take Game 3 when Wembanyama was sidelined. It missed another chance to deliver a knockout blow when it had a 17-point lead on Sunday. 

Now it just seems to be a matter of when, and not if, San Antonio closes this out.