Just when it looked as though the San Antonio Spurs were going to take control of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, star Victor Wembanyama went down with a concussion. Worse yet for the Spurs, they will be playing Game 3 in Portland with the series split 1-1.
Game 3 suddenly becomes crucial for both teams. If the Spurs win, then they would be guaranteed to return to San Antonio with no worse than a 2-2 series split.
If the Blazers win, then they would have a 2-1 series lead with another game in Portland on Sunday. Having the team with the second-best record in the NBA in a hole would be a major accomplishment for a team that only made the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament.
In fact, they won 20 fewer games than the Spurs this season. However, if Wembanyama doesn't play Game 3, then all of that goes out of the window.
Will Victor Wembanyama play against the Portland Trail Blazers?
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Wembanyama is progressing through the concussion protocol without any setbacks so far.
Reporting for Inside the NBA -- Spurs' Victor Wembanyama conducts cardio work Wednesday as he works through concussion protocol: pic.twitter.com/v5akihX2j9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 23, 2026
That doesn't mean that he will play Game 3, however. He has an average turnaround time for a player working his way through the concussion protocol.
Odds are that he will not play Game 3, but he did travel with the team to Portland. That is an encouraging sign that he could play in Game 4.
San Antonio Spurs' full injury report against the Portland Trail Blazers
Aside from David Jones-Garcia, who is out from the season with an ankle injury, Wembanyama is the only other Spurs player to appear on the injury report. His status is obviously the most important, but it appears that he will miss Game 3 against the Blazers.
Portland Trail Blazers' full injury report against the San Antonio Spurs
As for the Blazers, they are healthy aside from Damian Lillard. However, Lillard hasn't played this season as he recovers from an Achilles tear. As far as their actual rotation, they aren't missing any players.
If Wembanyama does indeed miss Game 3, the Blazers could have a big advantage up front. San Antonio only played Luke Kornet after Wemby exited Game 2 and played small ball in the non-Kornet minutes.
Unsurprisingly Portland beat San Antonio up on the glass en route to a Game 2 win. If Wembanyama misses multiple games, then that could be a problem, but, for now, he appears unlikely to play Game 3.
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