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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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#Victor #Wembanyama #unanimously #named #NBA #Defensive #Player #Year">Victor Wembanyama unanimously named NBA Defensive Player of the Year
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award has been around since 1983, and in that time, no player has ever received 100 per cent of the first-place votes for the award.
Victor Wembanyama is now the first.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar centre received 100 first-place votes out of a possible 100 to unanimously win the prestigious award, the NBA announced on Monday.
“I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first ever unanimous,” he said on NBC Sports Network.
Wembanyama, a candidate for Most Valuable Player, led the league in blocks (3.1 per game) for the third straight season in becoming the youngest player to ever earn the award (22 years, 98 days).
The two-time All-Star also averaged career highs in points (25.0) and rebounds (11.5) while chipping in a steal per game for a Spurs team that compiled the second-best record in the league (62-20) and also ranked No. 3 in the league in defensive rating.
Wembanyama secured 500 points in the voting and joined fellow Spur legend David Robinson in becoming the only two players since 1991-92 to win the award within their first three seasons.
That continues a remarkable tradition: a league-high four different Spurs players have now won the award a combined five times: Alvin Robertson (1986), Robinson, Kawhi Leonard (2015, 2016) and Wembanyama.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren finished second in the voting with 239 points (76 second-place votes), while the Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson finished third with 60 points (nine second-place votes). The Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (41 points) and the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (21 points) rounded out the top five.
“He changes the game so much,” Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter marveled Sunday after Wembanyama’s dominant effort in San Antonio’s playoff-opening 111-98 victory over Portland. Wembanyama set a franchise record with 35 points in his playoff debut, adding two blocks on the defensive end for good measure.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award has been around since 1983, and in that time, no player has ever received 100 per cent of the first-place votes for the award.
Victor Wembanyama is now the first.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar centre received 100 first-place votes out of a possible 100 to unanimously win the prestigious award, the NBA announced on Monday.
“I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first ever unanimous,” he said on NBC Sports Network.
Wembanyama, a candidate for Most Valuable Player, led the league in blocks (3.1 per game) for the third straight season in becoming the youngest player to ever earn the award (22 years, 98 days).
The two-time All-Star also averaged career highs in points (25.0) and rebounds (11.5) while chipping in a steal per game for a Spurs team that compiled the second-best record in the league (62-20) and also ranked No. 3 in the league in defensive rating.
Wembanyama secured 500 points in the voting and joined fellow Spur legend David Robinson in becoming the only two players since 1991-92 to win the award within their first three seasons.
That continues a remarkable tradition: a league-high four different Spurs players have now won the award a combined five times: Alvin Robertson (1986), Robinson, Kawhi Leonard (2015, 2016) and Wembanyama.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren finished second in the voting with 239 points (76 second-place votes), while the Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson finished third with 60 points (nine second-place votes). The Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (41 points) and the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (21 points) rounded out the top five.
“He changes the game so much,” Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter marveled Sunday after Wembanyama’s dominant effort in San Antonio’s playoff-opening 111-98 victory over Portland. Wembanyama set a franchise record with 35 points in his playoff debut, adding two blocks on the defensive end for good measure.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award has been around since 1983, and in…
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#GilgeousAlexander #Wembanyama #Jokic #finalists #NBA #MVP">Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, Jokic finalists for NBA MVP
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines the finalists announced Sunday for this year’s award alongside San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who beat out Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the voting last year and was also named NBA Finals MVP as the Thunder beat Indiana for the trophy, averaged more than 30 points per game this season.
He led Oklahoma City to the Western Conference top seed and the best record in the league at 64-18.
Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force of San Antonio’s first run to the playoffs since 2019, averaging a career-high 25 points per game and a league-best 3.1 blocks.
Jokic averaged a triple-double and became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists in the same season. He averaged 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
ALSO READ | LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets
Wembanyama also headlines the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, with Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons also on the ballot.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also up for Clutch Player of the Year. He scored 175 points in clutch time, defined as the final five minutes of regulation or overtime when the score is within five points.
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who were both ruled eligible for awards races despite not meeting the 65-game minimum, both failed to make the final MVP ballot.
Anthony Edwards, who was ruled out of the MVP race when his request for an “extraordinary circumstances” exemption from the 65-game rule was denied, is nevertheless among the Clutch Player finalists, which isn’t covered by the regulation.
The awards, which are voted on by a panel of sports media members, will be announced over the course of the playoffs.
Published on Apr 20, 2026
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines the finalists announced Sunday for this year’s award alongside San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who beat out Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the voting last year and was also named NBA Finals MVP as the Thunder beat Indiana for the trophy, averaged more than 30 points per game this season.
He led Oklahoma City to the Western Conference top seed and the best record in the league at 64-18.
Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force of San Antonio’s first run to the playoffs since 2019, averaging a career-high 25 points per game and a league-best 3.1 blocks.
Jokic averaged a triple-double and became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists in the same season. He averaged 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
ALSO READ | LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets
Wembanyama also headlines the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, with Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons also on the ballot.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also up for Clutch Player of the Year. He scored 175 points in clutch time, defined as the final five minutes of regulation or overtime when the score is within five points.
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who were both ruled eligible for awards races despite not meeting the 65-game minimum, both failed to make the final MVP ballot.
Anthony Edwards, who was ruled out of the MVP race when his request for an “extraordinary circumstances” exemption from the 65-game rule was denied, is nevertheless among the Clutch Player finalists, which isn’t covered by the regulation.
The awards, which are voted on by a panel of sports media members, will be announced over the course of the playoffs.
Published on Apr 20, 2026
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines the finalists announced Sunday for this year’s…