San Antonio star center Victor Wembanyama was concussed during Game 2 of the Spurs’ first-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, his coach confirmed following the contest.
“I just know he has a concussion and he’s in the protocol and we’ll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said. “You know, it’s tough. That protocol is the protocol, so we’ll just follow it, as everyone else does, and plan accordingly.”
Wembanyama was forced from Game 2 after hitting his face on the floor early in the second quarter. The Spurs later announced that Wembanyama had entered concussion protocol and would not return to the game before it was confirmed after the contest — a 106-103 Blazers win that leveled the series — that a concussion had been sustained.
Wembanyama hit his face on the floor at near-full speed after being knocked off his feet during a drive to the basket at the 8:57 mark of the second period, with the contact leaving him dazed enough to struggle standing up before jogging off the floor to the locker room.
San Antonio trailed 34-32 at the time, and Wembanyama had amassed five points, four rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot in 11:41 of court time when he was injured. The game was tied 57-57 by halftime.
The Spurs have had plenty of success without their star this season. Wembanyama missed 18 games this season with various injuries, with San Antonio going 12-6 in those games.
However, Wembanyama’s absence for Game 3 and potentially beyond would loom large in a series that suddenly swung to Portland’s advantage after the Blazers wrested away the home-court edge on Tuesday.
Wembanyama is scheduled to receive further testing on Wednesday but must remain inactive for a minimum of 24 hours and can’t resume full participation before 48 hours, per NBA concussion guidelines.
The teams won’t play again until Friday, when Game 3 will be contested in Portland.
–Field Level Media
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