Guided by Scoot Henderson playoff career-high 31 points, the Trail Blazers rally past the Spurs in Game 2 to even the series
The glow of San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s first Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award didn’t last as long as the Spurs and their fans had hoped.
Shortly after he was presented the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy – the award was announced on Monday – Wembanyama hit his head and face on the court in a hard fall in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday.
He left the game, did not return and entered the NBA concussion protocol.
Then, the Blazers took advantage, overcoming a 14-point deficit in the final 8:18 for a 106-103 victory in Game 2, tying the best-of-7 first-round Western Conference series.
Game 3 is Friday in Portland (10:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Here are four takeaways from Game 2:
1. Henderson spearheads Portland’s victory
Blazers guard Scoot Henderson scored a game-high 31 points, including 13 in the first quarter, six in the second, seven in the third and five in the fourth.
He was 11-for-15 from the field and 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and was a vital part of the Trail Blazers’ strong start and finish.
Portland took a 22-9 lead on Henderson’s 3-pointer with 5:27 left in the first quarter, and when he made his next 3-pointer, he had 13 of Portland’s 25 points. His 3-pointer with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter trimmed San Antonio’s lead to 101-100.
Henderson is just 22 years old and in his third NBA season. He is one of the G League’s success stories of the players who bypassed college and joined the G League Ignite. He missed the first 51 games this season recovering from a left hamstring tear.
“He’s very committed to get better, and slowly, when he recovered from the injury, you could see flashes of him,” Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “He’s in a stage where now he’s a little more mature, the game is little slower for him (and) he’s shooting the ball well. He worked the whole year on his shooting … and now he’s just flourishing.”
2. Spurs stumble without Wembanyama
Remove Wembanyama’s production and presence, and winning becomes more difficult. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 3.1 assists and shot 51.2% from the field in the regular season and set a franchise record for points in a playoff debut with 35 in Game 1 against Portland.
Wembanyama logged 29.2 minutes per game during the regular season, so the Spurs played extensive minutes without him.
However, the swing with Wembanyama on the court vs. him off the court was significant. When Wembanyama was in the game, the Spurs scored 120.5 points and allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions, and when he wasn’t in the game, the Spurs were at 114.3 and 113.7 – a difference of nearly 17 points per 100 possessions.
San Antonio was 12-6 in games where Wembanyama didn’t play at all.
The Spurs trailed 34-32 when Wembanyama exited and headed into halftime tied at 57-57. They built a 93-79 lead in the fourth but were unable to secure the victory.
Now, the attention is on Wembanyama’s availability. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama sustained a concussion, and according to the NBA concussion policy summary, “If a player is diagnosed with a concussion, he cannot return to participation for at least 48 hours, including the date of diagnosis; and until after he completes the required return-to-participation process.”
3. Trail Blazers bury big-time shots
During Portland’s comeback, it made big shot after big shot, including necessary 3s that helped the Blazers get back in the game.
Defensive ace Toumani Camara missed his first three 3-point attempts but made two in the fourth quarter that allowed Portland to dig into San Antonio’s lead.
Camara’s two made free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Trail Blazers a 106-103 lead, ensuring at least overtime. It stood as the final score.
Camara had 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Trail Blazers backup center Robert Williams III delivered off the bench with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and his final bucket that put Portland up 104-101 with 12 seconds to go turned out to be the winning shot.
Savvy veteran Jrue Holiday added 16 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two blocks. His bucket with 2:02 gave Portland a 101-100 lead, and his championship experience (he won titles with Milwaukee and Boston) was on display.
The Blazers were able to get the win with Deni Avdija (14 points) and Shaedon Sharpe (nine points) scoring nearly 10 points fewer than their season averages.
4. Spurs lean on depth
San Antonio general manager Brian Wright has assembled a deep roster, including two reserves with championship experience (Harrison Barnes with Golden State, Luke Kornet with Boston). The Spurs’ five reserves in Game 2 – Kornet, Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Carter Bryant and Dylan Harper – each scored at least four points, and Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, contributed 10 points.
Bryant, who was selected No. 14 in the 2025 draft, had seven points, two rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes, and Johnson, a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year, had seven points, four rebounds and two steals.
Kornet received a lot of Wembanyama’s minutes, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists.
That depth, depending on Wembanyama’s availability, could take on greater significance as the series advances.
* * *
Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
Leave a Reply