The shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers fell to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 118-105 on Thursday night.

Wembanyama shined offensively, putting up 30 points and six assists in just over 24 minutes of action, but where he really made a difference was on defense – swatting away seven Blazers shots and altering countless others.

The Blazers avoided the paint, frequently pulling up a step short or settling for a 3-point attempt in an effort to dodge Wembanyama. Unfortunately, with Portland missing key 3-point shooters Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Duop Reath, it was a ‘pick your poison' situation.

After the game, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups talked about Wembanyama's defensive impact.

“Obviously, it's everybody's first time playing against him, so there's an adjustment period.” Billups explained. “We have to understand, it looks open, but it's not. We put our head down and get to the basket, and once we take off, that's not open. This kid is there every single time. So, it's tough to see that. You're trying to do your thing, one or two guys in front, and he just appears.”

Billups added that the Blazers never knew where Wemby was going to be, “I thought it took all of us too long to adjust to it. But that's the beauty of having someone like that. You just never know where he's at, but just know that he's going to be right there. And I thought his presence defensively was incredible. Those seven blocks he had and so many other things that he just changed up.”

The two teams face each other again on Friday night, with Wembanyama widely expected to sit out on the second night of the back-to-back. Should the Blazers get one or all of Simons, Sharpe, and Reath back, Friday's game could shake out very differently than Thursday night.