Seven-seed Portland evened its first-round playoff series with No. 2-seed San Antonio Tuesday night.
Victor Wembanyama, the newly-crowned Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, exited Game 2 of the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs' first-round playoff matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers with a head injury. The 7-seed Blazers took advantage of his absence down the stretch to escape Frost Bank Center with a 106-103 victory on Tuesday night.
Portland evened the series at one game apiece as the series now shifts to the Pacific Northwest for Game 3.
Portland's Robert Williams made an alley-oop dunk that extended the Blazers' late rally, making the lead 104-101 in the game's final minute. Free throws for San Antonio brought the Spurs to within one with 10 seconds remaining.
Trailing by three with 5.2 seconds to play, Devin Vassell's contested 3-pointer was off the mark.
San Antonio fell to 12-7 on the season without its best player.
"I just know he has a concussion and he's in the protocol," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson after the loss. "We'll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps."
Wembanyama lost his balance on a drive and landed face-first on the hardwood at the 8:57 mark of the second quarter, but after San Antonio had clawed back from a double-digit first-quarter deficit, the Spurs kept momentum going.
San Antonio went on a 9-0 scoring run shortly after the injury timeout, and with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, Wembanyama was officially ruled out for the remainder of the game as he entered concussion protocol.
Wembanyama, who scored 35 points in the Spurs' Game 1 win on Sunday, exited Tuesday night's game with 5 points on 1-of-3 shooting, to go with four rebounds, two turnovers, and a block in 12 minutes of playing time.
Scoot Henderson powered Portland with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting and five made 3-pointers. Five Spurs players scored in double figures, with Stephon Castle recording 18 points. Vassell added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and De'Aaron Fox chipped in 17.
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The Trail Blazers used an 11-0 run to sprint to a 22-9 lead out of the blocks. Henderson - who was drafted two spots below Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft - was active on both ends of the floor and sparked the hot shooting that eluded Portland in Game 1.
At the end of the first quarter, San Antonio responded with a run of their own. The Spurs outscored the Blazers 19-5 to close the opening period and take a 28-27 advantage into the second.
San Antonio kept things rolling with strong transition offense with Wembanyama out. At the end of the second quarter, the Spurs nearly drew a last-second foul, but the half ended with the score tied at 57 apiece.
The Spurs led by two midway through the third quarter when Portland's acting head coach (and former Spurs center) Tiago Splitter was whistled for a technical after a foul wasn't called when Blazers center Donovan Clingan got bumped inside. Henderson nailed a midrange shot to tie the game at 66-66 on the next possession.
Minutes later, Castle converted a three-point play and Julian Champagnie hit a running floater, but Champagnie picked up back-to-back personal fouls to reach five for the game. However, the Spurs' challenge on the second foul was successful, and Champagnie hit a free throw to put San Antonio up six with 3:21 to play in the third.
Portland answered with six of their own, and Henderson knocked down a triple to put Portland back in front at 79-78 in the final minute of the quarter. Rookie Dylan Harper retook the lead for San Antonio on the next trip down, sending the Spurs into the final period up 80-79.
San Antonio started the fourth on a 13-0 run to take its largest lead of the game. As Luke Kornet put down a reverse dunk and-one, veteran wing Harrison Barnes went to the bench with an apparent wrist injury. Harper and Clingan collided and were both shaken up, as well, a moment later.
At that point, the Blazers, who trailed by 14 with eight minutes to play, went on a late rally. It was an unprecedented one that stopped a 76-game playoff winning streak for the Spurs in that situation.
The Spurs called a timeout, holding just a 101-97 lead, with 3:25 to play. Henderson nailed another three to trim the Portland deficit to one, then Jrue Holiday corralled an air-balled shot to lay it back in and put the Blazers ahead 102-101 with a minute and a half remaining.
San Antonio's next two possessions came up empty. With 12 seconds to play, Portland's Deni Avdija lobbed it to Williams for a throw-down, plus the foul. Both teams hit free throws, but Portland's great ball movement wasted precious time off the clock and drowned the Spurs' hopes of fully defending home court.
It is the Spurs' first playoff loss after leading by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter since May 19, 2003 in the Western Conference Finals against Dallas.
The attention now shifts to how much time Wembanyama might be sidelined due to injury.
Game 3 between the Spurs and Trail Blazers is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CST on Friday, April 24 with the series moving to Portland.