{"id":716344,"date":"2026-04-23T02:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716344\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T02:57:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:57:34","slug":"wembanyamas-concussion-puts-spurs-in-peril-the-lakers-avoided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716344\/","title":{"rendered":"Wembanyama’s concussion puts Spurs in peril the Lakers avoided"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Towering superstar Victor Wembanyama toppled onto his face<\/a> Tuesday night \u2014 timberrr!!! \u2014 and the NBA playoff scenario immediately became as scrambled as the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 7-foot-4 center\u2019s thoughts must have been moments after he suffered a concussion.<\/p>\n

Without Wembanyama for nearly three quarters, the Spurs fell to the underdog Portland Trail Blazers, 106-103, with the first-round series tied 1-1 and headed to Portland for Game 3 on Friday. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, without superstar guard Luka Doncic, the Lakers powered past the Houston Rockets<\/a>, 101-94, to take a 2-0 series lead. Guard tandem Marcus Smart<\/a> and Luke Kennard <\/a>combined with the ageless LeBron James<\/a> to make up for the absence of injuries to Doncic as well as fellow starting guard Austin Reaves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Peering forward, an extended absence by Wembanyama would seem to place the Spurs in serious jeopardy of a first-round exit. After all, \u201cWemby\u201d is the league\u2019s defensive player of the year in addition to averaging 25 points and 11.5 rebounds a game. He is a two-way force of unprecedented magnitude. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Lakers have responded to the loss of Doncic<\/a> so well that Times columnist Bill Plaschke declared<\/a> \u201cbelieve it, this series is already over\u201d after their Game 2 victory Tuesday night. The absence of Doncic and his 33.3 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds a game was masked by the exceptional play of teammates.<\/p>\n

Does that make Wembanyana more valuable than Doncic? Does it raise Wembanyana\u2019s NBA Most Valuable Player credentials to the level of fellow finalists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander <\/a>and Nikola Jokic<\/a>? <\/p>\n

That\u2019s a topic worth debating on another day. For now, the pertinent questions are how severely Wembanyana is injured and how long will he be sidelined. The Spurs and Trail Blazers play Game 3 on Friday night, Game 4 on Sunday and Game 5 on Tuesday night. The median time lost to concussion in the NBA is seven days<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a concussion and he is in the protocol,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said afterward. \u201cWe\u2019ll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

A player in concussion protocol must have at least 48 hours of inactivity and undergo neurological testing while meeting certain criteria without symptoms before being cleared to play. A decision on clearance will come from the NBA concussion protocol director Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher<\/a> in consultation with the Spurs\u2019 team doctor.<\/p>\n

The injury occurred early in the second quarter. After backing into the paint with the ball, Wembanyama turned to explode toward the basket. Portland defender Jrue Holiday executed a maneuver termed \u201cpulling the chair\u201d<\/a> \u2014 moving completely away from the Spurs center, who clearly was expecting contact.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor. He stayed down for several seconds before sitting up and putting his hands on his face. Television analyst Reggie Miller exclaimed, \u201cHe is dazed.\u201d Wembanyama finally stood and jogged directly to the locker room. He did not return.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile at Crypto.com Arena, Doncic and Reaves cheered from the bench throughout the Lakers\u2019 inspired dismantling of the Rockets. Smart scored 25 points and Kennard added 23. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know we just kind of flipped the switch,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cWe told each other, this is what we got right now. We\u2019ve got to believe in what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Smart: \u201cThe word is, \u2018elevate\u2019 for us, and that\u2019s all we\u2019ve been trying to do, is elevate our play on both ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wembanyana\u2019s backup is Luke Kornet, who has played for six teams since going undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2017. He was effective during a 14-minute stint in the Spurs\u2019 Game 1 victory over Portland and had 10 points and nine rebounds in Game 2 after Wembanyana exited. He\u2019ll need to step up the way Smart and Kennard have for the Lakers. <\/p>\n

Injuries are inevitable. How teammates respond when a superstar is sidelined provides insight on multiple levels. So far, the loss of Doncic \u2014 and Reaves \u2014 has been overcome by the Lakers while the loss of Wembanyama could cripple the Spurs. <\/p>\n