Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. was taken off the court in a wheelchair on Tuesday night after he went down with multiple head injuries in their win over the Miami Heat.
Hardaway, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, received stitches after taking blows to both his face and hitting the back of his head. An initial CAT scan was negative, though further specifics of his injury is not yet known.
Midway through the third quarter of the NBA Cup game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Hardaway caught an inadvertent elbow from Heat star Bam Adebayo as he was driving through the lane. Adebayo’s elbow drilled Hardaway directly in the face, though no foul was called.
Hardaway got up quickly and tried to take a charge as Tyler Herro drove to the lane, but Hardaway’s head slammed back onto the court hard as he hit the floor.
Hardaway remained down on the court for quite some time. He was eventually taken off the court on a wheelchair with a towel over his head. He didn’t return.
Hardaway finished with 11 points and shot 3 of 6 from the field in 19 minutes on Tuesday night. He’s averaging 12.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game this season, his first with the Pistons after spending the last six with the Dallas Mavericks.
“I didn’t really get to see it when it happened live, but they said he’s OK and just getting evaluated,” Tobias Harris said, via the Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa. “We’re praying for him and making sure that he’s alright, because he’s a huge piece to our team.”
The Pistons snuck out a 123-121 overtime win on Tuesday thanks to a wild blunder from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who tried to call a timeout when he didn’t have any with less than two seconds left in the extra period. That led to an incredible moment when cameras cut to former NBA player and ESPN personality Jalen Rose, who was stunned.
The Pistons, who hold a 5-7 record after the win, will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks.