OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren left Sunday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a right hip injury after absorbing a hard fall, the team announced.
Holmgren, 22, was contesting an Andrew Wiggins drive at the rim with 6:52 left to play in the opening quarter. Wiggins scored despite Holmgren’s attempt to protect the rim, and Holmgren fell to the ground in obvious pain. After several moments on the floor, Holmgren was helped to his feet and assisted to the locker room, not putting any weight on his right leg.
Without Holmgren, the Thunder lost 127-116 to the Warriors after falling behind by 30 points in the third quarter.
“We’ll see what his timetable is, but this is a resilient, tough, competitive, adaptive team,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “And that’s what we’re gonna be regardless of the circumstance.”
Entering Sunday’s game, Holmgren had been averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 1.9 made 3s per game while anchoring the Thunder’s league-leading defense. After missing his rookie season due to foot surgery, Holmgren, the second pick of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga, has played every game for the Thunder, who entered Sunday’s game tied for first place in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City was already thin up front before Holmgren’s fall. Top free acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a fractured left hand in the preseason and has yet to debut in the regular season; he was one of the men who helped Holmgren get to the locker room. The Thunder are also without backup center Jaylin Williams due to a right hamstring strain.
The Thunder host the LA Clippers Monday.
(Top photo: Alonzo Adams / Imagn)
