Wembanyama returns with 27/12/7/4

Victor Wembanyama returned from concussion protocol on April 26 and powered the San Antonio Spurs past Portland 114-93 in Game 4. (nba.com) Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, four steals and three assists in 34 minutes as San Antonio took a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round series. (nba.com) The Spurs announced about an hour before tipoff that Wembanyama had cleared the National Basketball Association's concussion protocol and would play after missing Game 3. (nba.com) Portland led by 19 points and took a 58-41 advantage into halftime before San Antonio opened the third quarter on a 13-0 run. (espn.com) Wembanyama tied the game at 74-74 with a tip dunk at the end of the third quarter, and the Spurs then outscored the Trail Blazers 40-19 in the fourth. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) De'Aaron Fox added 28 points for San Antonio, giving the Spurs a second scorer who matched Portland's early burst once the game turned. (espn.com) The return mattered because San Antonio had already survived one game without Wembanyama after he suffered the concussion during Game 2 of the series. (nba.com) After the game, Wembanyama said the way his return process was handled was "very disappointing," though he added that the Spurs' medical staff treated him well and declined to give more detail. (nba.com) San Antonio went back home with a 3-1 series lead, and Game 5 was scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, in San Antonio. (nba.com)