What Happened to Myles Turner? Injury Concerns Plague Pacers as 28YO Star Heads to Locker Room in Game 3 vs Celtics

The Indiana Pacers are going through a rough week. After suffering two brutal losses on the road against Boston, they found out that their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, would not play tonight. Still feeling the effects of the hamstring injury he suffered on Thursday, Haliburton is out for the first home game of the series. And just as they were starting to cope with the loss and find their rhythm, the Pacers were struck by another injury concern as Center Myles Turner was seen heading to the locker early in tonight’s Game 3.

During the first quarter, the Pacers fans witnessed a scary sight as Turner left mid-game and headed straight to the locker room with lower back soreness. Because of the injury, Turner could play only eight minutes in the opening quarter but did manage to add eight points on the board for his team. Although he is reported to return to the floor after receiving treatment, an injury concern so early in the game could be problematic going forward.

Even when he was on the court, Turner was not looking at his 100%. In an embarrassing moment, the 6’11 Center was blocked by Derrick White during a fadeaway jumper despite him being seven inches taller than White. Maybe Turner’s sore back was giving him some problems, or maybe White was just too good on defense. Nevertheless, after spending some time at the back, Turner did return to the floor to help his team. And with him back on the court, the Pacers finished the first half with a commanding twelve-point lead over the Celtics.

Myles Turner goes down again

Although Turner was back on the court despite his first-quarter injury scare, problems didn’t end there for him. Later in the game, while attempting a three-pointer, Turner landed on Derrick White’s foot and tweaked his ankle. That even led to a Flagrant foul on White for invading Turner’s landing space. Then again, Turner seemed to hurt his left ankle while inside Boston’s paint area and went straight to the floor, holding his leg in pain. Soon after, he was subbed out of the game during a timeout, raising more concerns.

Banged and bruised by the constant physical plays, the Center was seen hobbling up and down the court after his return. And it was clear that he was facing some issues. Regardless, Turner continued to play through the pain and cumulated 19 points at the end of the third quarter.

More importantly, the Pacers held on to a nine-point lead heading into the final period. And they will need Turner on the court to finish the job and make a comeback in this series. Averaging over 17 points in these playoffs so far and grabbing 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, Turner is an important reason why the Pacers are at this stage. And for them to keep their chances alive against the mighty Celtics, he needs to stay healthy for the entire series. What are your thoughts?

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