NBA playoffs: Wemby left injured in Spurs loss to Blazers as Lakers down Rockets

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio[/a] superstar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wembanyama-victor/jFmM1MFl/"]Wembanyama[/a] - who had scored 35 points in the Spurs' game one win on Sunday - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/basketball-nba-victor-wembanyama-suffers-scary-head-injury-in-san-antonio-spurs-playoff-game/EaEvrckD/"]exited in the second quarter at the Frost Bank Center in Texas[/a] after hitting his head on the court following a collision with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portland-trail-blazers/4Awl14c5/"]Portland[/a]'s Jrue [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/holiday-jrue/xUfyVcae/"]Holiday[/a].[/p][p]The 22-year-old looked groggy as he lay on the floor for several minutes before getting to his feet and jogging to the locker room.[/p][p]The 7ft 4in (2.24m) forward was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the game after entering the concussion protocol.[/p][p]San Antonio looked to have overcome Wembanyama's injury as they pulled into a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter, leading 93-79 with just over eight minutes left on the clock.[/p][p]But with victory seemingly in sight, San Antonio's shooting went ice cold and the absence of newly crowned NBA defensive player of the year Wembanyama was keenly felt as a determined Portland snaffled victory, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/portland-trail-blazers-4Awl14c5/san-antonio-spurs-IwmkErSH/?mid=ruuPcnS7"]closing the fourth quarter with a 27-10 run[/a].[/p][embed guid="3e632b29-eba9-4a5e-88ac-9af9018b5c2b" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2046787263326015496?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henderson-scoot/fJ3PhPz7/"]Scoot Henderson[/a] led Portland's scoring with 31 points, while Holiday added 16.[/p][p]"Basketball is a game of runs, and the basketball gods are always gonna repay the ones that play the game right," Henderson told NBC television afterwards.[/p][p]Game three of the best-of-seven series takes place in Portland on Friday.[/p][h2]LeBron sparks Lakers[/h2][p]Elsewhere Tuesday, the depleted Los Angeles Lakers produced another disciplined defensive effort to defeat the Houston Rockets [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/houston-rockets-Sr9PQALP/los-angeles-lakers-ngegZ8bg/?mid=dMHyPOQ6"]101-94[/a] and take a surprise 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first round series.[/p][p]With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured in the final weeks of the regular season, many had all but written off the Lakers chances of mounting a serious challenge in the playoffs.[/p][p]But LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard combined superbly to carry the Lakers to a second straight win over the Kevin Durant-led Rockets.[/p][embed guid="ab80534a-3909-4f88-a58d-fb56812396be" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2046831507734426054" social-type="twitter" /][p]James finished with 28 points, while Smart added 25 and Kennard 23 to give the Lakers hope of advancing as the series heads to Houston for game three on Friday.[/p][p][b]"As hard as we played in game one, we knew we had to double that in game two,"[/b] James said.[/p][p]"They were going to come in with desperation, so we had to be even more desperate. I thought we played a hell of a game.[/p][p][b]"Our own mindset now is focused on game three,"[/b] the 41-year-old NBA icon added.[/p][p]"We know we're going into a hostile environment. Guys tend to play better at home than they do on the road so we have to be ready for that."[/p][h2]Sixers bounce back[/h2][p]In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points as the Philadelphia 76ers scored a series-leveling [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/philadelphia-76ers-vwRW2QSh/?mid=C84vyaKO"]111-97 victory[/a] on the road over the Boston Celtics.[/p][p]Edgecombe made six-of-10 three-point attempts before finishing with 30 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in a stunning victory for the Sixers, who had trailed 26-13 early in the first quarter before rallying.[/p][p]Maxey was also lethal from long-range, making five three-pointers on his way to a 29-point haul.[/p][embed guid="c72a441f-ba48-49fa-80d4-53873739d5d0" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2046771664881336711?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The bounce-back victory came after the Sixers were thrashed 123-91 in game one on Sunday, after a performance that Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse lambasted as "absolutely unacceptable."[/p][p]Nurse was unsurprisingly happier with his team's winning display on Tuesday.[/p][p]"[b]I thought we just played much better team defense tonight,"[/b] said Nurse, who also saluted his team's resolve after Boston surged into an early double-digit lead.[/p][p]"I think we did a great job of just taking that punch,” Nurse said.[/p][p]Jaylen Brown led Boston's scoring with 36 points but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player to make double figures with 19 points. The Celtics made just 35-of-89 shots from the field throughout the game.[/p][p]Game three takes place in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/philadelphia-76ers-vwRW2QSh/?mid=2Xqle25t"]Philadelphia on Friday[/a].[/p]