Victor Wembanyama exits after falling face-first to court and enters the NBA's concussion protocol
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after tumbling face-first to the court and exiting in the second quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against Portland.
Wembanyama was being evaluated for a concussion and a determination could be made in the next 24 hours, a Spurs official said.
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.
Under league guidelines, a player in the concussion protocol must have at least 48 hours of inactivity and recovery and then hit several benchmarks without symptoms before being cleared to play. A player must undergo neurological testing and receive a final clearance from a team doctor in consultation with the league's concussion protocol director.
Wembanyama was fouled by Jrue Holiday after he spun around the Trail Blazers point guard in the paint. He was not able to brace himself on the fall, and his jaw hit the court with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter.
Wembanyama remained on the court for about 30 seconds before rising to a seated position for about a minute and speaking to teammate Stephon Castle. San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson called timeout to check on Wembanyama, who immediately ran through the tunnel after getting to his feet.
Wembanyama had five points, four rebounds, one blocked shot and one assist in 12 minutes.
Veteran Luke Kornet replaced Wembanyama and started the second half at center.
San Antonio is in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and beat Portland in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series behind 35 points from Wembanyama.
Wembanyama was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, winning the award unanimously. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and a league-best 3.1 blocks this season.
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