The world turned upside down for the San Antonio Spurs. In the second quarter of Game 2 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, Victor Wembanyama went down. A nasty fall saw the Spurs sensation hit his head, and ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that he has officially been diagnosed with a concussion. For the next 48 hours, Wemby can’t do anything but recollect himself from the concerning ailment. Shams Charania further reported that Wembanyama will undergo additional testing on Wednesday as he enters the NBA’s concussion protocol.

What made matters worse is the Spurs’ loss in Game 2 on their home floor. As things stand, Wembanyama’s participation in the series could be limited. However, it’s possible it’s the minimum time, with head coach Mitch Johnson offering a positive update after the game in a video shared by Jared Weiss.

“I just know he has a concussion and he’s in a protocol. We’ll obviously take the proper, appropriate steps… I didn’t get the full message on what happened. I couldn’t tell if he was holding his hand or his chest,” Johnson said when asked about Wembanyama’s state after his gruesome fall.

Here’s the good part of the aftermath. As brutal as the fall looked, Victor Wembanyama didn’t need to go to a hospital for further inspection. Moreover, despite the hard landing on his chin, there’s no damage to his jaw. The only requirement from Wemby is to abide by the NBA’s concussion protocol guidelines.

They don’t explicitly state an exact timeline for return. For the first two days after the incident, the Spurs cornerstone must remain inactive and refrain from any physical activity. Following that period, he will undergo a series of tests under the supervision of team doctors.

Per the NBA’s concussion policy, he must remain symptom-free and complete progressive steps- including stationary biking, jogging, agility work, and non-contact drills- before receiving clearance from both team physicians and the league’s concussion expert.

It’s only after that approval that the Spurs talisman can return to action. Shams Charania’s reporting stresses that the initial 48-hour inactivity window is mandatory, with further evaluation on Wednesday helping determine the exact path forward.

It’s a huge relief that the towering center hasn’t suffered any extensive damage. However, if he does have to miss games, it could put the Spurs in serious trouble.

Scoot Henderson shoots the Trail Blazers to a win

After the Spurs’ dominance in Game 1, this series looked over. But Victor Wembanyama, suffering a concussion, has changed everything. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, Wemby could potentially miss the entire series if he needs the maximum time to recover from the concussion. Judging from that update, Wemby may miss the first two road games of the series.

That could put the Spurs’ championship aspirations under serious threat. The Trail Blazers just showed that they could match up closely with San Antonio without Victor Wembanyama.

Scoot Henderson didn’t just play well in Game 2- he ended a 405-day personal drought of scoring 30 or more points, and he picked the perfect stage to do it. The 22-year-old dropped a playoff career-high 31 on 11-of-17 shooting, including five threes, leading Portland all the way back from 14 down in the fourth quarter to steal a 106-103 win in San Antonio.

He’s now the only other player from the 2023 draft class besides Wembanyama to score 30 in the playoffs. People are starting to ask not what Henderson might become, but what he already is.

Still, the game’s defining moment happened at 8:57 of the second quarter. Wembanyama hit his chin on the floor on a drive, left the game, and entered the NBA concussion protocol, just hours after being announced as the youngest-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. The Spurs played the final 32 minutes without him.

The Blazers seized on it. Robert Williams III capped the comeback with a putback dunk off a Deni Avdija lob in the closing seconds,  finishing with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. Portland also outshot San Antonio from three- 34% on 38 attempts versus the Spurs’ 7-of-24. Avdija was quiet by his standards (14 points), but he’ll have more to say when the series shifts home.

And home it goes. Portland enters as the No. 7 seed against a 62-win Spurs team, but now holds home-court advantage. Per the NBA’s concussion protocol, Wembanyama must sit a minimum of 48 hours after diagnosis and clear return-to-play procedures, meaning Game 3 on Friday in Portland is almost certainly off the table for him, and possibly Game 4 on Sunday too.
The Spurs overcame Wembanyama’s absences in the regular season well enough, but the playoffs are a different animal.

His on/off swing this season was significant, and Portland’s defensive versatility is built to capitalize on it. If the Spurs want to advance, the rest of the roster needs to hold things together long enough for Wemby to come back and come back healthy.

The ask isn’t much. All they need is one game on the road to recapture home-court advantage. But can they do it without Wemby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.