Indiana Pacers wing Chris Duarte suffers ankle injury vs Miami Heat
With 7:12 to go in the first quarter of the Indiana Pacers duel with the Miami Heat Friday night, Heat guard Kyle Lowry attempted a reverse layup while being defended by Pacers wing Chris Duarte.
During the play, Duarte landed on top of Lowry and rolled his left ankle. He immediately fell to the court and reached for the ankle — he was clearly in pain.
After a few moments, Duarte limped off the court with the help of his teammates. He hardly put any weight on the ankle. Bennedict Mathurin checked in for the wing who had played the entire game so far.
Once Duarte was off the hardwood, big men Goga Bitadze and James Johnson aided the forward to the locker room where he could be checked out by trainers. Later in the quarter, the Pacers announced that his return to the game is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
The timing could not be worse for Duarte, who had a career night on Monday and was once again starting in the place of the injured Aaron Nesmith. He had two assists in the game before the injury occured.
Duarte did not return to the game all night, and Indiana opted to use lineups featuring multiple guards without having Duarte as an option.
UPDATE: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Duarte's absence could span as much as four-to-six weeks as he suffered a Grade two ankle sprain.
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