Trail Blazers rally past Spurs
106-103 to even series after Wembanyama exits with concussion
[April 22, 2026]
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
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.
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) takes a hard fall on
the court during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA
playoffs basketball series against the Portland Trail Blazers in San
Antonio, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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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