Miami Heat high-flyer Derrick Jones Jr has been diagnosed with a neck strain after being stretchered off following a scary collision against the Indiana Pacers.
Jones Jr was chasing Pacers sniper Doug McDermott when he crumbled to the floor after being hit with a screen from rookie big man Goga Bitadze in the third quarter of Miami's 109-92 loss to Indiana.
The game was stopped for several minutes as the Heat's medical staff attended to Jones Jr who laid motionless on the floor after the incident.
Players from both sides stood in silence and watched on as emergency workers loaded Jones Jr onto a backboard and lifted him onto a stretcher before he was wheeled off the floor.
Following the incident, Jones Jr underwent an MRI and CT scan as well as a concussion test and reported no numbness, but he will be re-evaluated by team doctors over the weekend.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that Jones Jr had taken a hit to the neck, but was "already moving better" but admitted that the injury was "obviously a little more than a stinger".
Jones Jr has averaged 8.6 points and four rebounds per game in 23.4 minutes a night for Miami this season and took out the NBA slam dunk contest during the All-Star break.
The loss to Indiana means the Pacers will secure the No.4 seed in the Eastern Conference, with Miami sliding down to fifth spot, and both sides will face off in the first round of the NBA Playoffs next week.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/basketball/miami-heat-derrick-jones-jr-stretchered-off-after-scary-collision-with-opponent/3e04e545-a16f-4afd-95ce-f9ca5279f29a
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