A pivotal Eastern Conference matchup was on tap Wednesday as the Miami Heat hosted the Detroit Pistons in a battle between two lower-seeded playoff contenders.
The Heat moved to just two games behind the Pistons with a stunning 108-74 victory that night that saw the home team explode with a 21-0 run to kick off the second half.
More bad news came for Detroit in this contest, however, as starting point guard Reggie Jackson appears to have tweaked his ankle when he inadvertently stepped on his fellow teammate Zaza Pachulia's foot.
Reggie Jackson stepped on Zaza's foot, and Reggie turned his right ankle a bit. The game is a blowout, so he's done for the night.
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) March 14, 2019
@ProFootballDoc See Reggie Jackson? pic.twitter.com/dwp8x9WAFE
— Andrew Murray (@andrew_murray0) March 14, 2019
The Pistons have yet to address the media regarding the severity of Jackson's injury. Regardless, the team can't afford to lose one of their key contributors on the floor this late into the playoff race.
The 28-year-old point guard has already missed some time with a right ankle injury suffered back in September. The last thing that Detroit needs is for Reggie Jackson to aggravate that same ankle and possibly miss out on the postseason altogether.
Given Jackson's track record with injuries in general, he's expected to sit out a couple of games to heal himself as to prevent any further damage despite entering the most crucial part of his team's regular season.
The Pistons needing Jackson ready for the playoffs cannot be understated. During the team's 2016 postseason run, the former Boston College standout produced an average of 14.5 points across four games while logging in significant time on the court at 36.8 minutes per contest.
Ish Smith will likely step in as Detroit's starting point guard should Reggie Jackson indeed miss some more time for the remainder of the season.
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