Victor Wembanyama is still in contention to play for the San Antonio Spurs in the crucial Game Three in Portland on Friday night.

The Spurs superstar caused consternation at the Frost Bank Center when he crumbled to the floor after hitting his chin on the court in the second quarter of a game the Trail Blazers won 106-103 last night to level the best-of-seven first-round Western Conference series at 1-1.

Wembanyama is now in the concussion protocol which means he can return to full participation 48 hours after the time of the injury and can resume gradual activity after 24 hours as long as symptoms don’t worsen. There would be still several hurdles for him to overcome, including clearance from the team doctor, before he can be passed fit.

But even with that timeline, there is a good chance Wembanyama suits up in two days’ time.

“I just know he has a concussion and he’s in the protocol,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps.”

Spurs rally round stricken Wembanyama

Wembanyama, the recently crowned NBA Defensive Player of the Year, suffered the injury driving to the basket under pressure from Jrue Holiday. His team-mates immediately rushed to his side before the Frenchman was able to run to the locker rooms unaided.

“I was just checking on him, making sure he was okay,” team-mate Stephon Castle said. “I was subbing in. Obviously, he ran off [the floor]. So, that’s a good sign.” Fellow Spurs star Keldon Johnson added: “We’re hoping for the best, but I haven’t heard anything. Obviously, it’s a big hit that we don’t have the big fellow. But we’re a good team and we’ll continue to stay together, have each other’s back and do what got us here.” 

His absence in Portland would be a blow for the Spurs but they have proved they can cope without him this season, winning all three regular-season games against the Trail Blazers with Wembanyama not playing in any of them.

“We’ve played tough games without him,” Castle said. “Obviously we want everybody healthy and to have him on the court. But whatever five guys are on the court [for Game 3], we’re going to play like ourselves.”

Henderson impresses for Portland

Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, who missed 51 games earlier this season with a hamstring injury, scored a game-high 31 points to power his side to victory.

“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.”