In the second matchup of today’s NBA playoff slate, the Spurs and Trail Blazers will face off in a Western Conference battle. The Spurs hold a 2-1 series advantage, and tonight will mark the second game taking place in Portland.

Victor Wembanyama remains questionable, and his status will be worth monitoring up until tip-off. The Spurs star is still in concussion protocol, but has been around the team and is making his push to get back on the floor as soon as he is allowed.

Looking at the odds, the Spurs enter as 4.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, and the game’s total is set at O/U 218.5 points.

Here’s a full preview and prediction for Game 4.

Spurs vs. Trail Blazers Preview

The Spurs leaped out to a 1-0 series lead with a convincing 111-98 win in Game 1 that was headlined by the 35-point scoring output from Wembanyama. But things changed in Game 2 when he took a hard fall that kept him out for the game and put him in concussion protocol. Portland capitalized on his absence by evening up the series with a 106-103 win. San Antonio was able to overcome the absence of Wembanyama in Game 3, winning on the road, 120-108.

San Antonio is 2-1 against the spread in the series thus far, and the total has gone under in 2-of-3 games.

This has been an entertaining and more evenly matched playoff series than many expected. Wemby’s injury is a variable San Antonio would prefer not to be faced with. But it has also allowed the team to show that it is more than a one-man show with plenty of other talent on the roster. Players like Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox, and Devin Vassell have proven capable of scaling up their offensive roles, and Luke Kornet is a more than serviceable fill-in at the big man spot.

The gap between these two teams in the regular season was much steeper than the 2-1 series would suggest. San Antonio made the leap into the true contending category, going 62-20 to earn the No. 2 seed. The Spurs ranked third in the league in scoring, fourth in offensive rating, eighth in opponents’ points allowed, and third in defensive rating.

While they are not on the same timeline of development, there have been encouraging strides from this youthful Trail Blazers roster. Portland exceeded expectations across the regular season, going 42-40 to finish seventh in the conference. It ranked 17th in scoring, 20th in offensive rating, 16th in opponents’ points per game, and 14th in defensive rating.

Spurs vs. Trail Blazers pick, Game 4 best bet

It has been an impressive season and an impressive start to the series for the Trail Blazers. But this is where I expect things to fall apart for the team with inferior talent.

San Antonio failed to win the game that Wembanyama left due to injury. But it was able to adjust the game plan when entering the game without him and got back on top with a win. Castle and Harper each had plenty of success attacking the rim, even with Portland’s strong defensive backcourt in mind. It felt as if Portland brought its best effort, including stretching a lead to as many as 15, but it still did not prove to be enough.

Wembanyama is doing everything in his power to return, and his presence changes the outlook in a major way. But this is a Spurs team wise beyond their years and approaching the matchup with the necessary seriousness. Portland ranked 26th in opponents’ offensive rebounds allowed across the regular season and also turned the ball over at a greater rate than any team in the league. The Trail Blazers also have offensive limitations that include ranking 29th in field goal percentage and 28th in three-point percentage.

It takes a near-perfect effort to defeat this Spurs team, and there are too many holes for San Antonio to exploit. This is a team with championship aspirations. Count on the gap in talent to be put on display, as the Spurs have multiple players who can step up, and expect the guard rotation to continue to have success getting to their spots on the floor at will. It has been an admirable effort from Portland this season and this series, but there are too many exploitable matchup concerns. With or without Wembanyama, back the Spurs to put forth their most convincing win of the series and cover the 4.5-point spread.

Best Bet: Spurs -4.5 (-115)