PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama did not play Friday night in Game 3 against Portland in the teams' first-round playoff series while he continued to recover from a concussion.
Wembanyama — the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player
award — went down in the second quarter of Game 2 on Tuesday night and did not return.Portland went on to win the game
106-103 in San Antonio to tie the series at 1-1. The Spurs then overcame Wembanyama's absence to win 120-108 on Friday night.
“Victor is not playing tonight. Obviously, there's a lot that goes into that, but he's doing well and progressing,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said before the game.
Wembanyama traveled to Portland with the Spurs on Thursday afternoon while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol. He was listed as questionable for Friday’s game.
Johnson said he was going to keep details of Wembanyama’s condition "in-house,” except to say he’s continuing to progress. His status for Sunday's Game 4 was not known.
Wembanyama was putting up shots at the team’s shootaround Friday morning at the Moda Center. He watched from the bench in street clothes during the game, often standing to cheer on his teammates.
Luke Kornet got the start against the Trail Blazers in Wembanyama’s absence, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Players must clear a series of benchmarks before being cleared for play under the concussion protocol. The results are compared to baseline neurological evaluations players take at the start of the season.
Any extended absence by Wembanyama could be a massive blow to San Antonio, which finished with the league’s second-best record behind the versatile 7-foot-4 center from France. They were 12-6 in the regular season without him.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season.
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