SAN ANTONIO — Scoot Henderson had something he wanted to say.
With 2:21 left to play in the third quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers guard pulled up from 15 feet away on left side of the basket. He connected for his eighth field goal of the evening, this time over Dylan Harper. As he trotted away, he left the rookie hear it.
Harper returned fire with a floater of his own after crossing up Henderson enough to clear the lane to the basket. With the crowd behind him, he jawed back.
“Let them be physical,” De’Aaron Fox said. “Just let us be physical back.”
Still, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t have enough in the tank without Victor Wembanyama to take Game 2. The Trail Blazers’ 106-103 victory evens the series 1-1 heading to Portland.
Wembanyama entered concussion protocol on Tuesday shortly after slamming his chin on the court following a drive attempt on Jrue Holiday with 8:57 to play in the second quarter. The Frenchman remained down on the floor long enough for Mitch Johnson to call a timeout before jogging to the locker room with the team’s training staff in tow.
His teammates didn’t need anything else to motivate them the rest of the contest.
“It’s more than a basketball game for us,” Spurs star Stephon Castle said on NBC’s broadcast at halftime after visiting the locker room. “I was just trying to check on my brother.”
Apr 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts beside guard Dylan Harper (2) after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
A mission was set forth by Tiago Splitter and the Trail Blazers entering Game 2. After dropping Game 1 — Wembanyama’s 35-point outing led the way for the Spurs — the visiting squad had its work cut out for it; adjustments were needed in multiple facets.
“You always try to get one game on the road,” Splitter said pregame. “It’s not going to be an easy task … we’ve got to rebound better. Got to take care of the ball. Got to shoot better. We’ve got to guard (Victor Wembanyama) better.”
No Wembanyama for the final 32 minutes helped Portland on the latter front, while 31 points for Henderson — his season high — helped equalize 35 combined points from Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox. Deni Avdija finished with an inefficient 14 points.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson cited a lack of poise in his squad compared to Game 1.
The Spurs won the rebounding battle with the Trail Blazers and shot better from the field, but couldn’t stop Portland from getting hot to close the fourth quarter. A 9-0 run carried it to the final 46 seconds of the game, at which point a free throw battle ensued.
From there, the Trail Blazers enjoyed their own Fiesta on a court lacking color.
“As a team … our goal (was) 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.”
Johnson confirmed Wembanyama suffered a concussion shortly after the final buzzer, but declined to comment on whether the Frenchman will sit for Game 3.
Re: Victor Wembanyama’s potential concussion: The NBA says players must sit out a minimum of 48 hours after being diagnosed with a concussion, including the date of diagnosis.
He then must pass standard return-to-play procedures. We’ll see how much Wembanyama and the #Spurs are… https://t.co/jVbGCth0nT
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) April 22, 2026
“Protocol is the protocol,” Johnson said. “We’ll just follow it as everyone else does and plan accordingly … we’ll take the proper and appropriate steps.”
Per the NBA, Wembanyama must have 48 hours of inactivity before attempting to pass return-to-play benchmarks without symptoms with team doctors. The earliest he can begin participating with San Antonio is Thursday night — the day it travels to Portland.
Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers from Moda Center is set for 9:30 p.m. Central Friday night on Prime.
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