Heat F Derrick Jones Jr. Exits Game on Stretcher With Neck Injury

In his team's final seeding game before the start of the NBA playoffs, Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. exited Friday's game against the Pacers in the fourth quarter with an apparent neck injury.

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Jones collided with Pacers center Goga Bitadze while trying to elude a screen. He laid on the ground for several minutes while being attended to by medical staff before being taken off the court on a stretcher. He was able to move his extremities during this time.

Jones has reportedly been diagnosed with a neck strain and will be re-evaluated this weekend, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Heat and Pacers were already locked in to a first-round playoff matchup, so Friday's game had no impact on the final standings. Pacers coach Nate McMillan spoke with ESPN's Rachel Nichols during the game following Jones' injury.

“We thought it was a solid screen, I thought he got his neck caught up in (Bitadze's) left shoulder. You never want to see something like that, especially in a game like this," McMillan said. "We want to be competitive, but we’re together. We’re unified as a league, and you never want to see someone go down with an injury such as that … We’re hoping for the best for him.”

Jones played 16 minutes in the game with three points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 23-year-old UNLV product has averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds for Miami in 23.4 minutes per game this season, his fourth in the NBA.