NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama was concussed early in a huge blow for San Antonio as they suffered a shock loss to Portland in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoffs series.

Shortlisted for the NBA MVP award, the French centre was forced out of the game after tumbling face-first in the second quarter of Tuesday's 106-103 home defeat which tied the series at 1-1.

Wembanyama's return to action timeline is uncertain and his continued absence would be an enormous loss for the second-seeded Spurs as Game 3 looms on Friday in Portland.

"He has a concussion. He's in the protocol," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "We'll take the proper and appropriate steps."

Under league guidelines, a player in the concussion protocol must have at least 48 hours of inactivity and recovery and then hit several benchmarks without symptoms before being cleared to play.

Wembanyama had five points, four rebounds, one blocked shot and one assist in 12 minutes before his fall after he was fouled by Jrue Holiday, having spun around the point guard in the paint.

Portland's Scoot Henderson had a game-high 31 points, while Australian Olympian Matisse Thybulle made a crucial defensive play for the Trailblazers on the final shot of the game.

INCREDIBLE DEFENSE FROM THYBULLE ??Blazers win Game 2 to tie the series at 1-1!Game 3: Friday, 10:30pm/et on Prime https://t.co/124pLRUGlz pic.twitter.com/beVr2d8aTj? NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2026

San Antonio are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and won Game 1 behind 35 points from Wembanyama.

In Los Angeles, 41-year-old LeBron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he led his short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets and a stunning 2-0 lead in their Western Conference series.

LEBRON FLIES IN FOR THE JAM!LAKERS LEAD BY 7 WITH 14.3 TO PLAY IN GAME 2 ? pic.twitter.com/Lr9N6oqAXZ? NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2026

Marcus Smart had 25 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who have twice overcome the absences of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with a team effort led by James.

Los Angeles did it again in Game 2 despite the return of Rockets superstar Kevin Durant, who scored just three of his 23 points in the second half against the Lakers' tenacious defence.

In Boston, V.J. Edgecombe had 30 points and 10 rebounds while playing through pain after taking a hard fall early in the game, Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points and Philadelphia beat Boston 111-97 to tie their Eastern Conference series at 1-1.

Edgecombe connected on six of the 76ers' 19 three-pointers on Tuesday. Maxey also had nine assists as the Sixers bounced back after getting blown out 123-91 in Game 1.

MAXEY & VJ WERE SPECTACULAR ON THE ROAD!VJ: 30 PTS, 10 REB, 2 STL, 6 3PMMAXEY: 29 PTS, 9 AST, 2 STL, 5 3PMSIXERS WIN GAME 2 AND EVEN THE SERIES AT 1-1 ? pic.twitter.com/q8qnW0vPkl? NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2026

The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.

Jaylen Brown led the hosts with 36 points, while Jayson Tatum added 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

Philadelphia were again without centre Joel Embiid as he continues to go through a strength and conditioning program following an appendectomy on April 9.