04/23/26 11:30:00
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04/23 11:28 CDT Victor Wembanyama will travel with Spurs, Game 3 status vs.
Portland uncertain because of concussion
Victor Wembanyama will travel with Spurs, Game 3 status vs. Portland uncertain
because of concussion
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO (AP) --- Victor Wembanyama will travel with the San Antonio Spurs
to Portland for games this weekend, even while continuing completing the steps
mandated by the league's concussion protocol.
That said, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stopped short Thursday of saying
Wembanyama will play. Wembanyama is "progressing," Johnson said, but his status
for Game 3 of the matchup remains uncertain.
Wembanyama --- the league's first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year
and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award --- suffered the
concussion in the Spurs' Game 2 loss to Portland on Tuesday night, leaving the
game in the second quarter.
Game 3 of the series --- tied at a game apiece --- is Friday in Portland,
followed by Game 4 there on Sunday. The Spurs were flying to Portland on
Thursday afternoon.
There are very specific steps that players have to clear before being removed
from the league's concussion protocol. Players begin the return-to-play process
with light exertion --- such as riding a stationary bike, jogging, agility work
and non-contact basketball drills --- and each step is followed by another
neurological examination.
Wembanyama's results will also be compared to his baseline neurological
evaluation --- which players undergo prior to each season --- before doctors
permit him to move forward in the return-to-play plan.
Any extended absence by Wembanyama would be a massive blow to San Antonio,
which finished with the league's second-best record behind the versatile
7-foot-4 center from France. They were 12-6 in the regular season without
Wembanyama.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1
blocks per game this season.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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