San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a rib contusion, but there’s confidence he will play again in the regular season to meet the requirements for postseason awards, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Wembanyama suffered the injury in a collision with 76ers forward Paul George in the second quarter of Monday’s win over Philadelphia.
After undergoing testing Tuesday, Wembanyama was determined to have avoided significant injury and is considered day-to-day. Because he played just 15 minutes, 40 seconds in Monday’s game, it will not count toward eligibility for postseason awards.
The favorite to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a contender for MVP, Wembanyama needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s remaining three games to maintain eligibility for postseason awards.
After hosting the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the Spurs play the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets at home on Friday and Sunday to close out the season.
San Antonio (60-19) still has an outside shot to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder (62-16) for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but would need OKC to lose at least three of its final four games for a chance to move up.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright contributed to this report.
