They had just clinched a playoff spot, though there were no cheers or celebrations from the Portland Trail Blazers. Instead, just silence and prayers for Jusuf Nurkic.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — They had just clinched a playoff spot, though there were no cheers or celebrations from the Portland Trail Blazers. Instead, just silence and prayers for Jusuf Nurkic.
The gruesome injury suffered by their center overshadowed everything else Monday night.
«Devastating,» Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
Nurkic had 32 points and 16 rebounds before suffering his left leg injury in the second overtime, and the Blazers outlasted the Brooklyn Nets 148-144.
«It made me sick to my stomach,» Blazers guard Damian Lillard said of Nurkic’s injury. «As I was walking over there, I saw everyone else turn around real quick and walk away, and then I look and I saw his leg.»
Nurkic was hurt when his leg bent awkwardly as he battled for an offensive rebound. His leg was immobilized and he was removed on a stretcher while surrounded by members of both teams. Nurkic was then transferred to a local hospital and the team said he sustained compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula.
After the injury, Blazers made enough plays to get the win, but then reality hit.
«He wouldn’t want us to say, ‘All right, let’s feel sorry for ourselves and feel sorry for Nurk and not care as much,'» Lillard said. «So we’re going to finish the job, try to get the game, but I think after the game, that’s when it kicks in.»
The Blazers held a collective moment of silence and prayer for Nurkic in the locker room following the game.
