PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is available to play Sunday in Game 4 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, missed Game 3 on Friday in Portland while going through the league’s concussion protocol. The Spurs won 120-108 to go up 2-1 in the series.
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Wembanyama sustained the concussion in the first half of Tuesday’s 106-103 loss to the Blazers.
He traveled to Portland while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol and had been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Luke Kornet got the Game 2 start against the Trail Blazers in Wembanyama’s absence, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio was boosted by Stephon Castle with 33 points and rookie Dylan Harper, who had 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Players must clear a series of benchmarks before they are allowed to play under the concussion protocol. The results are compared to baseline neurological evaluations players take at the start of the season.
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San Antonio finished with the league’s second-best record behind the versatile 7-foot-4 center from France. It went 12-6 in the regular season without him.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season.
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