When the team’s young star goes down, or heads back to the locker room mid-game with a hitch in his step, an entire fan base holds their breath.
That happened tonight in Philadelphia with Ben Simmons and New York with Kevin Knox, but fortunately neither seems to be serious.
Simmons had hit a couple of layups but ran back up the court gingerly, like he was in pain, before asking out of the game at the 4:19 mark of the first quarter. He is not returning.
Medical Update: Ben Simmons (back tightness) will not return.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 21, 2018
Simmons has been tearing it up for Philadelphia, averaging 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game through the Sixers first two. Philadelphia is off until Tuesday when they start a back-to-back in Detroit then head to Milwaukee.
New York’s Knox went down after Boston’s Terry Rozier tried to cut Knox off in transition and fouled him.
The Knicks announced it was a sprained ankle.
Kevin Knox (left ankle sprain) will not return. X-Rays were negative.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 21, 2018
Knox drags that ankle behind him in an awkward way after the collision, let’s hope it’s nothing more than a mild sprain.
Both a tight back and a sprained ankle are things that can be worse the next day, keep your eyes out for updates on these guys.