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#NBA #Playoffs #Trail #Blazers #stun #Spurs #Wembanyama #injury #LeBron #James #shines #Lakers #win">NBA Playoffs: Trail Blazers stun Spurs after Wembanyama injury; LeBron James shines in Lakers’ win The Portland Trail Blazers exploited an injury to Victor Wembanyama to score an upset 106-103 victory over the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in their NBA Western Conference playoff series on Tuesday.
San Antonio superstar Wembanyama — who had scored 35 points in his side’s game one win on Sunday — exited in the second quarter at the Frost Bank Centre in Texas after hitting his head on the court floor following a collision with Portland’s Jrue Holiday.
The 22-year-old looked groggy as he lay on the floor for several minutes before getting to his feet and jogging to the locker room.
The 7ft 4in (2.24m) forward was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the game after entering the concussion protocol.
San Antonio looked to have overcome Wembanyama’s injury as they pulled into a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter, leading 93-79 with just over eight minutes left on the clock.
But with victory seemingly in sight, San Antonio’s shooting went ice cold and the absence of newly crowned NBA defensive player of the year Wembanyama was keenly felt as a determined Portland snaffled victory, closing the fourth quarter with a 27-10 run.
Scoot Henderson led Portland’s scoring with 31 points, while Holiday added 16.
“Basketball is a game of runs, and the basketball gods are always gonna repay the ones that play the game right,” Henderson told NBC television afterwards.
Game three of the best-of-seven series takes place in Portland on Friday.
LeBron sparks Lakers
Elsewhere Tuesday, the depleted Los Angeles Lakers produced another disciplined defensive effort to defeat the Houston Rockets 101-94 and take a surprise 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.
With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured in the final weeks of the regular season, many had all but written off the Lakers’ chances of mounting a serious challenge in the playoffs.
But LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard combined superbly to carry the Lakers to a second straight win over the Kevin Durant-led Rockets.
James finished with 28 points, while Smart added 25 and Kennard 23 to give the Lakers hope of advancing as the series heads to Houston for game three on Friday.
“As hard as we played in game one, we knew we had to double that in game two,” James said.
“They were going to come in with desperation, so we had to be even more desperate. I thought we played a hell of a game.
“Our own mindset now is focused on game three,” the 41-year-old NBA icon added.
“We know we’re going into a hostile environment. Guys tend to play better at home than they do on the road, so we have to be ready for that.”
Sixers bounce back
In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points as the Philadelphia 76ers scored a series-levelling 111-97 victory on the road over the Boston Celtics.
Edgecombe made six of 10 three-point attempts before finishing with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in a stunning victory for the Sixers, who had trailed 26-13 early in the first quarter before rallying.
Maxey was also lethal from long-range, making five three-pointers on his way to a 29-point haul.
The bounce-back victory came after the Sixers were thrashed 123-91 in game one on Sunday, after a performance that Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse lambasted as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Nurse was unsurprisingly happier with his team’s winning display on Tuesday.
“I thought we just played much better team defence tonight,” said Nurse, who also saluted his team’s resolve after Boston surged into an early double-digit lead.
“I think we did a great job of just taking that punch,” Nurse said.
Jaylen Brown led Boston’s scoring with 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player to make double figures with 19 points. The Celtics made just 35-of-89 shots from the field throughout the game.
Game three takes place in Philadelphia on Friday.
Published on Apr 22, 2026
The Portland Trail Blazers exploited an injury to Victor Wembanyama to score an upset 106-103…
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#NBA #playoffs #LeBron #James #hits #points #Lakers #beat #Rockets">NBA playoffs: LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets
LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 points, and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Deandre Ayton scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and Marcus Smart added 15 points with eight assists as the fourth-seeded Lakers won, with leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) watching from the bench.
In just his seventh start since joining the Lakers from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, Kennard went nine of 13 from the floor and five of five from three-point range while delivering a season high in points to fill the scoring void at guard.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard each added 17 for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who were playing without leading scorer Kevin Durant (knee).
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and Tari Eason also had 16 points for Houston, which has lost three consecutive road games to Los Angeles since the middle of March.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and host Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 1-0 lead in its first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws. Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, nearly half of which came during the Nuggets’ 14-0 third-quarter run which broke a deadlock and put them in control of the game after a slow start.
Anthony Edwards, who was questionable after missing 11 of the Timberwolves’ final 14 regular-season games with right knee issues, led Minnesota with 22 points. Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start the decisive third-quarter run for host New York Knicks, which pulled away for a win over the Hawks in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Jalen Brunson scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter for the third-seeded Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last year for the first time since 2000. Towns finished with 25 points and was 10 of 10 from the free throw line, while Anunoby collected 18 points.
CJ McCollum scored 26 points for the Hawks, who earned the sixth seed in their first trip to the playoffs since 2023. Jalen Johnson had 23 points while Onyeka Okongwu (19) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17) each scored in double figures.
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cavaliers to a victory over visiting Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Max Strus had 24 points off the bench, and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight playoff games over the Raptors. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland, where the Raptors are 0-8 all-time in the postseason.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points, and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 points and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 points, and Jamal Shead had 17 points in his playoff debut, starting for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).
Published on Apr 19, 2026
LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 points, and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Deandre Ayton scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and Marcus Smart added 15 points with eight assists as the fourth-seeded Lakers won, with leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) watching from the bench.
In just his seventh start since joining the Lakers from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, Kennard went nine of 13 from the floor and five of five from three-point range while delivering a season high in points to fill the scoring void at guard.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard each added 17 for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who were playing without leading scorer Kevin Durant (knee).
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and Tari Eason also had 16 points for Houston, which has lost three consecutive road games to Los Angeles since the middle of March.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and host Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 1-0 lead in its first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws. Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, nearly half of which came during the Nuggets’ 14-0 third-quarter run which broke a deadlock and put them in control of the game after a slow start.
Anthony Edwards, who was questionable after missing 11 of the Timberwolves’ final 14 regular-season games with right knee issues, led Minnesota with 22 points. Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start the decisive third-quarter run for host New York Knicks, which pulled away for a win over the Hawks in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Jalen Brunson scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter for the third-seeded Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last year for the first time since 2000. Towns finished with 25 points and was 10 of 10 from the free throw line, while Anunoby collected 18 points.
CJ McCollum scored 26 points for the Hawks, who earned the sixth seed in their first trip to the playoffs since 2023. Jalen Johnson had 23 points while Onyeka Okongwu (19) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17) each scored in double figures.
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cavaliers to a victory over visiting Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Max Strus had 24 points off the bench, and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight playoff games over the Raptors. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland, where the Raptors are 0-8 all-time in the postseason.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points, and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 points and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 points, and Jamal Shead had 17 points in his playoff debut, starting for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).
Published on Apr 19, 2026
LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 points, and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as…