Playoff injuries shift odds
- Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 3 in Portland on Friday night after entering the day questionable in concussion protocol. - Houston’s Kevin Durant was also ruled out for Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers with a sprained left ankle after the Rockets fell behind 0-2. - Two first-round series swung on injury uncertainty Friday, with San Antonio-Portland tied 1-1 and betting analysts noting Atlanta had already flipped to series favorite over New York. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) (nytimes.com)
Victor Wembanyama and Kevin Durant both missed pivotal Game 3s on Friday, reshaping two first-round series in one night. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Spurs spent most of April 24 saying Wembanyama was questionable after a concussion in Game 2, then ruled him unavailable before tipoff in Portland. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama was “doing well and progressing.” (nba.com) (click2houston.com) Wembanyama had traveled with the team, appeared at shootaround at Moda Center, and still could not clear the National Basketball Association’s step-by-step concussion protocol. San Antonio entered Friday tied 1-1 with Portland after losing Game 2, 106-103, when Wembanyama exited in the second quarter. (click2houston.com) (nba.com) Houston took a similar hit hours later when Kevin Durant was ruled out of Game 3 against the Lakers with a sprained left ankle. The Rockets were already down 0-2 in the series. (nba.com) (usatoday.com) Durant had been listed questionable before Houston downgraded him to out on the league injury report Friday evening. NBC Sports called the game “critical” because no National Basketball Association team has come back from 3-0 down to win a series. (usatoday.com) (nbcsports.com) The injury swings landed in a postseason already tilted by volatility. The Athletic reported that Atlanta had moved from underdog to favorite against New York after splitting the first two games on the road. (nytimes.com) That same Athletic analysis said most higher seeds opened as series favorites, with one early exception: Houston against an injured Lakers roster. By Friday, the injury pressure had shifted again, this time onto the Rockets. (nytimes.com) (nba.com) Wembanyama’s absence is especially stark because San Antonio went 62-20 and finished with the league’s second-best record behind him. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks in the regular season. (nba.com) Friday’s story was less about one betting board than a simple playoff rule: health can erase seeding in a day. By the end of the night, two contenders were trying to hold serve without the stars who shaped their seasons. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
