In the NBA Playoffs, momentum swung widely as injuries and late-game collapses dominated the playoffs.
In their Western Conference playoff series, the Portland Trail Blazers capitalized on a major injury scare to San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
They rallied late for a gritty 106-103 win. Victor Wembanyama crashed face-first into the floor very early in the game. This happened when he came into contact with Jrue Holiday. During the second quarter, his jaw hit the floor in a scary fall.
He was diagnosed with a concussion and placed in the NBA’s protocol and ruled out for the remainder of the game. Now, it looks like he could miss multiple games.
Before crashing out of the game, Victory played for 12 minutes and managed just five points. This was a world of difference from his 35-point explosion in Game 1.
From Blazers, Scoot Henderson took matters into his own hands and scored 31 points. However, Robert Williams III was the one who delivered the decisive moment. It was an alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left.
Holiday could add 16 points and nine assists, with Avdija contributing with 14. Williams also chipped in with 11. Stephon Castle put up 18, and De’Aaron Fox played for 17 points.
Devin Vassell, on the other hand, had a strong double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
However, without the support of Wembanyama, the Spurs could not function well as a unit.
Sixers Won Against Celtics
In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers dominated the game against the Boston Celtics with a decisive 111-97 win to tie their series 1-1.
Rookie V.J. Edgecombe from the 76ers came up with something of a statement with his 30 points and 10 rebounds. He became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to get those numbers in a playoff game.
In this game, Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points and 9 assists as Philadelphia responded with great resilience after Game 1.
For Boston, Jaylen Brown with 36 points and Jayson Tatum with 19 points looked threatening, but an 11-0 run from the Sixers closed the game on them.
Now the Sixers will back home for the next two games.
