04/21/26 10:45:00
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04/21 22:44 CDT Trail Blazers rally past Spurs 106-103 to even series after
Wembanyama exits with concussion
Trail Blazers rally past Spurs 106-103 to even series after Wembanyama exits
with concussion
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO (AP) --- Scoot Henderson scored 31 points and the Portland Trail
Blazers took advantage after a scary injury to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama,
rallying for a 106-103 victory over San Antonio on Tuesday night to even their
Western Conference playoff series at one game apiece.
Wembanyama was diagnosed with a concussion after he tumbled face-first when he
was fouled by Jrue Holiday and his jaw slammed into the floor. He did not
return after the injury in the second quarter and entered the NBA's concussion
protocol, which raises the possibility the versatile 7-foot-4 center could miss
multiple games.
The second-seeded Spurs looked like they could win without Wemby, building a
14-point lead early in the fourth quarter before their offense stagnated.
Portland held San Antonio without a field goal for the final 3:37 as the
Blazers closed the game on an 11-2 run. Robert Williams III converted an
alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left for a 104-101 lead after Deni Avdija
muscled through the paint and fed him the ball.
"As a team, as a unit, I think that was our goal --- to be aggressive,"
Henderson said. "Hit everybody that comes through the paint, box out and play
fast. I think that was all of our success and that kind of opened the floor for
all of us."
Holiday had 16 points and nine assists, Avdija scored 14 and Williams finished
with 11.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 18 points and De'Aaron Fox added 17. Devin
Vassell, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, missed a 3-pointer with 2
seconds remaining.
Game 3 is Friday at Portland.
After scoring 35 points in the Spurs' Game 1 win, Wembanyama had five points,
four rebounds, one blocked shot and one assist in 12 minutes.
Under league guidelines, a player in the concussion protocol must have at least
48 hours of inactivity and recovery and then hit several benchmarks without
symptoms before being cleared to play. A player must undergo neurological
testing and receive a final clearance from a team doctor in consultation with
the league's concussion protocol director.
The Spurs had won 76 straight playoff games when leading by 14 points or more
in the fourth quarter. The last time they lost under those circumstances was on
May 19, 2003 against Dallas.
San Antonio built that big lead with a 13-0 run to start the fourth. Backup
center Luke Kornet, who replaced Wembanyama, punctuated that burst with a
reverse slam for a three-point play.
Kornet finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Henderson shot 11 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 on 3-pointers.
"(Henderson) has been shooting the ball really well," Vassell said. "Got to be
more physical with him. No catch-and-shoots, no easy off-the-dribble pullups. I
think he made ... I don't know how many he made today. We're going to make it a
lot harder for him because he's feeling way too comfortable."
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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