Spurs Trail Blazers Basketball

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. Wembanyama traveled to Portland with the Spurs on Thursday afternoon while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol.

With Victor Wembanyama absent because of a concussion, the San Antonio Spurs' young players stepped up for a 120-108 victory over the Trail Blazers. Second-year guard Stephon Castle delivered 33 points and rookie Dylan Harper pitched in a career-high 27 along with 10 rebounds. Wembanyama is with the team in Portland but his status for the game is uncertain. The win gave the Spurs a 2-1 series advantage heading into Game 4 on Sunday. Also on the NBA playoff schedule for Sunday: Celtics-76ers, Lakers-Rockets, Cavaliers-Raptors

After San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama returned from a concussion to play in Game 4 of the team’s first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, he said he was disappointed with how the process was handled. The Spurs announced about an hour before tipoff that Wembanyama could play after clearing the league’s concussion protocol. He went on to score 27 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a 114-93 San Antonio win. Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, was ruled out of Game 3 on Friday in Portland because of the concussion.