Monday night should have been an awesome night for Blazers fans. Their team stuck out a wild, double overtime win over a very good Brooklyn Nets squad, clinching a spot in the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. It was the kind of victory the Blazers needed and the game itself was a true thriller. Except for one thing: Late in the second overtime period Blazer center Jusuf Nurkic cracked his leg in what may well be the most brutal and gruesome injury ever seen in the Moda Center. Nearby players covered their eyes with their jerseys and ran from the scene as the entire arena fell silent. A towel was quickly thrown over Nurkic’s twisted leg and a stretcher was brought whisked him away to the hospital as the crowd stood in shock. Nurkic was having a fantastic, monster game, 32 points and 16 rebounds. He was in the middle of a career year. And now his season is over after suffering compound fractures in both the tibia and fibula in his left leg. And frankly, this spells near doom for the Blazer’s season as well. It was an good win (148-144), but a shit night for Rip City overall.
Here’s video of Nurkic being rolled out of the arena:
Trail Blazers fans show Jusuf Nurkic support as he gets carted off after suffering gruesome left leg injury 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZsNThlRq9j
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 26, 2019
So you want to see the injury? Be warned, it’s graphic and stomach turning, but, if you must, click here.
It’s hard to feel invested in the ups and downs of this game at this point. All the players could talk about afterwards was Nurkic and what he means to the team. The locker room was somber and reflective, “It’s tough, man,” said Damian Lillard. “We fight so hard all season long and our starting center, one of our main guys, goes down…It made me sick to my stomach…I don’t know what to say…I hate to see that happen to him.”
It really was a good game up until the injury. Both the Blazers and the Nets are fighting for playoff position and Nets all-star guard D’Angelo Russell gave Portland’s all-star, Damian Lillard a solid run for his money. The game was tied 62-62 at the half and fans could tell they were in for big finish. Here’s a survey of the fans in the hallways:
The Nets took the lead midway through the fourth period and looked to be heading for victory, but the Blazers buckled down and made some big stops. Down by one point with seconds to go, Seth Curry stole the ball and was fouled on his way to the basket. He missed his first free throw but made his second, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
Neither team could gain and advantage in OT, and fans stayed on their feet as the game remained tied and went into a second overtime period. Finally, Nets center Jarrett Allen fouled out of the game. Former Blazer Ed Davis had fouled out earlier leaving the Nets with no viable option to guard Jusuf Nurkic in the post. Nurkic went to town against undersized Jared Dudley and the Blazers jumped to a quick lead. All seemed well in Blazerland, and thats when Nurkic went up to tip in a rebound and landed awkwardly on his left leg. Nets players gazed down in horror at the way it bent backwards and several ran away towards their bench. The jumbotron camera remained fixed on the odd and awful sight of Nurkic’s foot twisted in the wrong direction as he lay on his back in pain.
Fans murmured amongst each other and there was a collective gasp as the stretcher was brought out.
And then a chant rose up from the crowd:
Portland’s faithful chanting Jusuf Nurkic’s name. That’s real. ♥️ (via @DimeUPROXX) pic.twitter.com/wTQAvPLMg7
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 26, 2019
This win holds the Blazers firmly in fourth place in the west, only a half game behind the Houston Rockets. But it’s hard to get excited about their playoff chances right now. They play the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday. Heal up, big man!