Wednesday has been a concerning night for the Orlando Magic and their fans. During the team's contest against the Toronto Raptors, both center Nikola Vucevic and forward Aaron Gordon were forced to depart early due to respective ankle injuries.
For Vucevic, his right ankle was rolled up underneath him during the second quarter as he attempted to block a shot. He was unable to put weight on his foot/ankle area and needed help getting to the locker room.
.@OrlandoMagic C Nikola Vucevic needs help getting to the locker room after his right ankle buckled upon landing on a block attempt. pic.twitter.com/dGPppGNrvm
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) November 21, 2019
Gordon also sustained a right ankle injury during the second quarter, having landed awkwardly after he blocked a shot. While he was able to get to the bench area and locker room under his own power, he will not return to Wednesday's contest.
Before their departure, Vucevic and Gordon combined for just five points between them, with Vucevic scuffling from the floor to the tune of 1-for-7 shooting. While the center was able to add five rebounds and five assists in his 11 minutes, Gordon logged just two rebounds on 1-for-3 shooting across his 12 minutes of action.
With neither man available for the second half, the trio of Al-Farouq Aminu, Khem Birch and Mo Bamba have filled in in the frontcourt. Vucevic, who was an All-Star for the first time last season, has kicked off 2019-20 in similar fashion, having averaged 12.1 rebounds per contest, which puts him on pace to set a new career high.
Orlando next takes the court Saturday against Indiana, although it's unclear at this point if either man will be close to returning to action.
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