The world watched in horror as Tim Hardaway Jr. took a scary fall during Tuesday’s game against the Heat. Well, the incident occurred when he decided to take a charge from Tyler Herro. Unfortunately, while he fell backward upon impact, he accidentally got struck on the back of his head by Jalen Duren’s knee. To make matters worse, he hit his head once again, this time on the hardwood. He left the game in a wheelchair and even missed Wednesday’s Bucks encounter because of the injury. The update before the game even revealed he might not suit up for tonight’s Raptors game, and he eventually did not.
As per the injury report, Hardaway initially was listed as doubtful because of a laceration in his head. So, there was a high chance he would miss his second straight game, now confirmed as ‘out’. Well, the injury he suffered was alarming as his head began gushing out blood immediately after impact. Even his father, Tim Hardaway, who sat on the sidelines that night, was so worried that he rushed to the locker room right after the Mavs star was wheel-chaired out of the NBA Cup group stage encounter.
Sure enough, he underwent a CAT scan later that night. Although he required some stitches to close the open wound, fortunately, the test results came out negative. Obviously, the good news is that the scary fall did not lead to a serious head injury. But it looks like he will need some time to recover completely. An official return-timeline from the Detroit side is awaited.
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Tim missing tonight’s game, leaves a massive void in the Pistons’ offense, as he averages 12.5 points. Moreover, he has been elite from the three-point line this season, shooting at an efficiency of 45.7%.
Pistons’ Depth Chart
With Tim Hardaway’s status doubtful, this is what the Pistons’ depth chart looks like for tonight:
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Positions | Starters | 2nd | 3rd |
PG | Cade Cunningham | Marcus Sasser | Wendell Moore Jr. |
SG | Jaden Ivey (Q) | Malik Beasley | Daniss Jenkins |
SF | Tim Hardaway Jr. (D) | Ronald Holland II | Alondes Williams |
PF | Tobias Harris | Simone Fontecchio (D) | Paul Reed |
C | Jalen Duren | Isaiah Stewart | Cole Swider |
Well, he is not the only player dealing with an injury. Jaden Ivey also missed the last game because of a toe sprain. Notably, he is listed as questionable tonight. Surprisingly, Simone Fontecchio is also dealing with the same issue and he, too, missed the last game because of it. Moreover, he is doubtful to play tonight.
Meanwhile, Ausar Thompson remains out as he is yet to make his season debut. A blood clot has sidelined the young star since the latter stages of last season. Despite missing multiple stars, the Pistons are somehow off to a better start than last season as they have won five of their first thirteen games.
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But there is still a long way to go as they hope to bag another win tonight. Do you think they can beat the Raptors and bag their second NBA Cup group stage win?
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Can the Pistons survive without Tim Hardaway Jr., or is their season already in jeopardy?
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Can the Pistons survive without Tim Hardaway Jr., or is their season already in jeopardy?
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