The Portland Trail Blazers have tied the series with the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 2, the Blazers won 106-103 in a dramatic final phase, while the Texans are worried about Victor Wembanyama.
This is how quickly things can happen in the playoffs. San Antonio dominated the Blazers in the opener, but they hit back two days later and benefited from the retirement of Victor Wembanyama. The newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year got out of control during a spin move against Jrue Holiday in the first half and slammed his chin on the floor.
The 22-year-old was unable to continue after that and the Frenchman was diagnosed with a concussion. The game was evenly poised at that point and the Texans were on course to win for a long time even without their superstar. The Spurs produced a 13:0 run at the start of the fourth quarter to take their highest lead of the evening (93:79), but only managed to add ten points to the scoreboard in the following 8:33 minutes.
Spurs squander 14-point lead
De’Aaron Fox (17 points, 6/16 FG) and Stephon Castle (18) failed to hit any more shots, while Portland’s guards took control. Former No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson exploded for 31 points (11/17 FG), while Jrue Holiday (16, 9 assists) made the big plays in crunch time. The former Celtics guard blocked a three-pointer by Castle and gave the visitors the lead with two minutes remaining when he anticipated an airball from center Robert Williams (11, 9 rebounds) and buried it in the basket.
With twelve seconds remaining, Williams did better when Deni Avdija (14, 5/13) gave the center an alley-oop. San Antonio had another chance to force overtime, but Devin Vassell’s (16) tough three-pointer just clattered onto the hoop and Portland was able to celebrate.
The series now switches to Portland, where it continues on Friday night at 4:30 a.m. German time. Whether Wembanyama will be able to play again is more than questionable.
