Dylan Harper did not start Friday night’s game. He did not need to.
The San Antonio Spurs rookie came off the bench in Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers and delivered one of the more quietly stunning performances of this young playoff season, scoring 27 points in a 120-108 victory that gave San Antonio a 2-1 series lead. Victor Wembanyama was not on the floor. The Spurs won anyway.
Harper, the No. 2 pick in last June’s draft, scored 22 of those 27 points in the second half, including 12 in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth. He finished 4-for-5 from three-point range and 5-for-7 on paint attempts, adding 10 rebounds to go with a steal and a block.
At 20 years and 53 days old, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 25 or more points as a reserve in a playoff game.
Harper and Castle make a little history together
Harper was not working alone. Stephon Castle, San Antonio’s second-year guard and the 2025 Kia Rookie of the Year, scored a game-high 33 points on 18 shots, going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. He added five assists and 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs completed their comeback.
Together, Harper and Castle became just the second pair of teammates aged 21 or younger to each score 25 or more points in the same playoff game. The first duo to do it was Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the 2010 first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Castle also set a franchise milestone, becoming the youngest player in Spurs history to finish a postseason game with at least 30 points and five assists.
A 15-point hole, then an 18-3 run
Portland led 82-67 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The Moda Center crowd was loud. The Blazers looked in control.
What followed was an 18-3 San Antonio run, the Spurs’ largest playoff comeback since Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals. Harper ignited the stretch, scoring 12 points while shooting 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line during that quarter alone. A pair of Harper free throws tied the game at 85, and San Antonio never looked back.
De’Aaron Fox shook off a slow start and finished with 18 points and six assists. Rookie Carter Bryant’s three points and six rebounds barely hint at his real impact. He was a plus-17 in 23 minutes with four assists and three blocks.
Portland’s backcourt gave everything it had
The Blazers did not go quietly. Jrue Holiday scored 29 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished five assists and recorded four steals. It was his sixth career playoff game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Scoot Henderson added 21 points and hit five threes.
The two combined for 50 points and went 10-for-19 from beyond the arc, but fatigue caught up with Portland late. Turnovers and short-rimmed jumpers in the fourth quarter opened the door for a decisive 12-0 Spurs run that effectively closed out the game.
Wembanyama and the bigger picture
Wembanyama, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Kia MVP Award, watched Game 3 from the bench in street clothes after sustaining a concussion late in Game 2. He remains in the league’s concussion protocol. Coach Mitch Johnson declined to predict his availability for Game 4.
His absence forced San Antonio into a more perimeter-oriented offense, leaning on high-screen actions and driving lanes rather than the vertical, rim-protection style Wembanyama enables. The Spurs scored 42 points in the paint and adjusted defensively by having guards crash the glass.
Game 4 is Sunday in Portland at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
