Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner dealing with right ankle sprain, questionable for Friday
Myles Turner was reaching for his lower right leg with under one minute to go in the Indiana Pacers battle with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. He was clearly in pain and had a slight limp after being fouled. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle sent Oshae Brissett to the scorers table to check in for the big man, but Turner was at the free throw line still.
At the charity stripe, Turner sank both free throws. Because he took the foul shots, he was forced to stay in the game. Despite limping moments earlier, he made an impressive defensive play to come up with a steal, and guard Bennedict Mathurin scored in transition. Turner's teammate, Buddy Hield, then committed a take foul to help stop the game and get Turner to the bench, though it didn't hurt that Indiana needed to foul at that point in the game to have a chance at winning.
On the bench, Turner immediately removed his right shoe and did not return to the action for the rest of the night. The Pacers lost 126-120. You can see a video of the moment Turner's injury took place below.
On Thursday, the Pacers put out an injury report that listed Turner as questionable for their game on Friday vs the Milwaukee Bucks with a right ankle sprain. Earlier in the season, Turner missed four games with a left ankle sprain.
If Turner can't play, the Pacers will miss him on the court. He has improved significantly this season, and his former coaches and teammates see a ton of growth in his game. With a larger opportunity, he has stepped up in a big way for the blue and gold.
Turner is averaging 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season. The Pacers are 21-20 when he plays despite being under .500 on the season. Indiana only has two games in the next seven days, so the injury timing is fortunate if Turner has to be sidelined for a few days.
The Pacers and Bucks tip off at 7 pm Eastern Time in Indianapolis on Friday.
- Tyrese Haliburton says he hopes to return from injury 'to start February' for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- Report: Goga Bitadze is the 'most likely' Indiana Pacers big man to be traded this season. CLICK HERE.
- Myles Turner has improved significantly this season. Just ask his former teammates and coaches. CLICK HERE.
- Bennedict Mathurin closes out the Chicago Bulls with an excellent fourth quarter: 'I like adversity a lot.' CLICK HERE.
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