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#NBA #Finals #Game #Victor #Wembanyama #seeks #clarity #heartbreaking #Spurs #loss">NBA Finals, Game 2 — Victor Wembanyama seeks clarity after heartbreaking Spurs loss San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama could barely remember the details of the late-game miscues that cost the Spurs in their agonizing 105-104 loss to the New York Knicks in game two of the NBA Finals on Friday.
The Spurs used a 14-0 scoring run to erase a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and briefly took a one-point lead before it all fell apart.
Wembanyama keyed the comeback, but two crucial misses — including a potential game-game winner — and an inexplicable turnover with a pass into teammate Stephon Castle’s back doomed the Spurs’ rally bid.
“I’m still very blurry,” he said of the plays. “That’s the whole problem. I need to have more poise, more control over the game.”
The score was knotted at 104-104 with 9.5 seconds left when Wembanyama threw the pass that Castle never saw coming.
“I was looking at him when he first got the rebound,” he said. “I just started to take off to try to give him some space to dribble up the court. I didn’t see him throw it to me.”
San Antonio still had a chance to win it, but Wembanyama’s final jump shot bounced off the rim.
He said he got the shot he was looking for on the inbounds play but couldn’t get it to drop.
“Of course I liked the shot,” he said. “I feel like in this moment you need to shoot to score.”
And Castle said there was no other player the Spurs would want to see taking that shot than Wemby.
“He’s made that shot a thousand times,” Castle said. “He has a game-winner with that shot this year.”
The Spurs now need an unprecedented comeback as the series shifts to New York for games three and four. No NBA team has lost the first two games of the Finals on their home floor and come back to lift the trophy.
“We needed to win that game,” Wembanyama said. “This game was ours. But at this point it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
Published on Jun 06, 2026
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama could barely remember the details of the late-game miscues that…
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#San #Antonio #Spurs #star #Wembanyama #cleared #return #concussion">San Antonio Spurs star Wembanyama cleared to return after concussion
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was disappointed with how his return from a concussion was handled.
The Spurs announced about an hour before tipoff Sunday that Wembanyama could play in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers after clearing the league’s concussion protocol. He went on to score 27 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks in San Antonio’s 114-93 win.
Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, was ruled out of Game 3 on Friday in Portland because of the concussion. The Spurs won 120-108.
“The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said Sunday. He would not elaborate, but emphasised that he was not referring to San Antonio’s medical staff.
“I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision. It was a decision, I’m not saying it was good or bad,” he said. “But the way the situation was handled (was)very disappointing.”
Wembanyama sustained the concussion in the first half of Tuesday’s 106-103 loss to the Blazers in San Antonio and did not return to the game. He travelled to Portland while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol.
“I won’t get into details; I don’t want it to become a distraction. Ask me again after the end of the season,” Wembanyama said.
A versatile 7-foot-4 forward from France, Wembanyama averages 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said before tipoff Sunday that the team was prepared to play with or without Wembanyama, who was listed as questionable going into the game.
“Fortunately, we have a little experience preparing for a variety of lineups and rotations,” Johnson said. “I think the guys have really empowered us as a staff, I’d say, throughout the season, of being able to have a brand and identity regardless of availability.”
With Sunday’s win, the Spurs took a 3-1 lead in the first-round series, which shifts to Game 5 in San Antonio on Sunday.
Luke Kornet got the Game 3 start against the Trail Blazers in Wembanyama’s absence, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Players must clear a series of benchmarks before they are allowed to play under the concussion protocol. The results are compared to baseline neurological evaluations players take at the start of the season.
Published on Apr 27, 2026
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was disappointed with how his return from a concussion was handled.
The Spurs announced about an hour before tipoff Sunday that Wembanyama could play in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers after clearing the league’s concussion protocol. He went on to score 27 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks in San Antonio’s 114-93 win.
Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, was ruled out of Game 3 on Friday in Portland because of the concussion. The Spurs won 120-108.
“The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said Sunday. He would not elaborate, but emphasised that he was not referring to San Antonio’s medical staff.
“I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision. It was a decision, I’m not saying it was good or bad,” he said. “But the way the situation was handled (was)very disappointing.”
Wembanyama sustained the concussion in the first half of Tuesday’s 106-103 loss to the Blazers in San Antonio and did not return to the game. He travelled to Portland while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol.
“I won’t get into details; I don’t want it to become a distraction. Ask me again after the end of the season,” Wembanyama said.
A versatile 7-foot-4 forward from France, Wembanyama averages 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said before tipoff Sunday that the team was prepared to play with or without Wembanyama, who was listed as questionable going into the game.
“Fortunately, we have a little experience preparing for a variety of lineups and rotations,” Johnson said. “I think the guys have really empowered us as a staff, I’d say, throughout the season, of being able to have a brand and identity regardless of availability.”
With Sunday’s win, the Spurs took a 3-1 lead in the first-round series, which shifts to Game 5 in San Antonio on Sunday.
Luke Kornet got the Game 3 start against the Trail Blazers in Wembanyama’s absence, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Players must clear a series of benchmarks before they are allowed to play under the concussion protocol. The results are compared to baseline neurological evaluations players take at the start of the season.
Published on Apr 27, 2026
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was disappointed with how his return from a concussion…
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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 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…
