The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that Jusuf Nurkic sustained season-ending compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula. The rugged center was stretchered off the court after suffering a lower leg injury during the Blazers' double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Jusuf Nurkic was taken off the court on a stretcher after suffering a lower-leg injury in double OT against the Nets. pic.twitter.com/WjMZeQu2Uq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2019
The entire Moda Center got eerily quiet once Nurkic hit the deck, knowing this was not an easy blow to recover from. Once the paramedics rushed to his aid, Blazers fans knew they'd have to brace for the worst.
The Blazers were leading by two at the 2:22 mark, once their big man was helped off the court, a lead they managed to keep through the end of a grueling game, surviving with a 148-144 win.
Nurkic was a huge contributor in the win, tallying 32 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and four blocks on the night before his dreaded departure — perhaps his second-best statistical night since his mythical 5-x-5 earlier this year.
Portland now faces a difficult end stretch to the season, putting the bulk of the load in Damian Lillard's shoulders after CJ McCollum is expected to miss at least four more games with an injury of his own, one that could potentially sideline him for the rest of the season.
Regardless, the Blazers will enter the postseason at less than 100 percent strength and without their best rim defender in Nurkic, who had proven to be a catalyst for this team throughout this season.
Nurkic averaged career-highs of 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steals to go with 1.4 blocks per game, shooting a career-best 50.8 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the foul line. The big man also had a career-high 36 double-doubles, ranking 15th in the league in rebounding and 16th in blocks.
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