Julian Champagnie said the Spurs are bracing for a heavier, rougher Game 3 when they visit Portland on Friday night, with the series tied one game apiece and Victor Wembanyama cleared to travel but still uncertain to play. The forward said the matchup will demand more rebounding and one-on-one defense as San Antonio tries to steady itself after giving up Game 2.
"Going into Game 3, it's going to be a lot more physical, a lot more need for rebounding and playing one-on-one defense," Champagnie said Thursday. "We have to go out there and make the right plays."
The warning carries real weight because Wembanyama’s status changes everything for the Spurs. The big man collided with Jrue Holiday in the paint during the second quarter of Game 2 and crashed face-first into the floor at Frost Bank Center, leaving San Antonio to finish the night without certainty about the player who anchors so much of its defense.
Portland took advantage. The Trail Blazers erased a 14-point deficit in the final 8:18 and won 106-103, closing the game on an 11-2 run after the Spurs had briefly pushed back. That came two days after San Antonio opened the series with a 111-98 win on Sunday, a game in which Champagnie played 30 minutes, scored six points and made three steals.
Champagnie has been one of the Spurs' steadier two-way pieces through the first two games. He scored nine points and blocked two shots in Game 2, and one of his 3-pointers briefly stretched San Antonio's lead in the fourth quarter before Portland finished its comeback. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds during the regular season, numbers that fit the broader task in front of the Spurs now: getting back to the kind of collective execution that produced a 62-20 regular season.
That is also why Wembanyama's uncertainty looms so large. As the Spurs' biggest defensive piece, his availability reshapes how they can protect the rim, contest in space and survive Portland's push for a more physical game. Champagnie said the team needs to tighten up on both ends after Game 2, adding, "We weren't as sharp as we could have been, offensively and defensively," and, "I think we have to really hone back in on what that time looked like and just get back to that."
Game 3 tips off Friday in Portland at 9:30 p.m. CST on Prime Video, and the Spurs will have to answer the same question they could not settle after Game 2: whether their defense can hold up if Wembanyama cannot.
