Spurs lose to Portland after Wemby leaves in second quarter; series tied up at 1-1

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs fought hard but couldn’t muster a 2-0 series lead against the Portland Trail Blazers after Victor Wembanyama left early in Tuesday’s matchup at the Frost Bank Center.

The Trail Blazers won, 106-103, to instead even up the first-round playoff series at 1-1. Wembanyama left with 8:47 remaining in the second quarter after his jaw hit the court hard; he was being evaluated for a concussion and ruled out the rest of Game 2, according to the Spurs.   

San Antonio responded with a gritty performance and led by as many as 14 in the third quarter, having emerged from halftime with the score tied at 57. 

But Jrue Holiday gave the Trail Blazers the lead, 102-101, with just over two minutes remaining in the game, and the Spurs last-second shot attempt bounced off the rim. Portland won the fourth quarter, 27-23, and finished the game on a 22-8 run. 

Scoot Henderson’s game-high 31 points paced Portland. All-Star Deni Avdija tallied another 14 points and Holiday finished with 16 in the win. 

Five Spurs finished in double-digits, including Stephon Castle’s game-high 18 points, to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Devin Vassell had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. 

Game 3 is Friday night in Portland. 

Wembanyama stayed on his stomach for several prolonged moments before moving into a sitting position as teammates tended to him. He eventually got up and headed to the locker room under his own power. 

He finished with five points on 1-of-3 shooting, along with four rebounds, an assist and a block in 12 minutes. San Antonio went 2-1 in the regular season against Portland, all games that Wembanyama missed. 

The 7-foot-4 center celebrated being awarded NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors when he was presented with the trophy during pregame festivities. 

Team officials said he was being evaluated for a concussion and won’t return in Game 2. Per NBA policy, if Wembanyama is formally diagnosed with a concussion, he can’t return to “full participation” for at least 48 hours and upon fulfilling several requirements. 

Those include being cleared of concussion symptoms. 

Shortly after the game, Head Coach Mitch Johnson confirmed that Wemby was diagnosed with a concussion. He will have further testing Wednesday.

The 2-seed Spurs were looking to go up 2-0 in the first-round series against the 7-seed Trail Blazers. 

After making 45% of their shots from beyond the arc in Game 1, San Antonio hit just seven of 24 3-points – a 29% clip – in Game 2. And the Silver & Black made just 71% of its free throws after finishing the regular season hitting 76.6% from the line—sixth in the NBA.