Jusuf Nurkic went down with a “devastating” injury Monday night, according to head coach Terry Stotts, suffering compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula.
Nurkic, 24, jumped up for a rebound and came down awkwardly with a 2:22 remaining in Portland’s 148-144 double-overtime win against the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
All-Star point guard teammate Damian Lillard said the season-ending injury made him “sick” to his stomach.
Per The Oregonian:
“Devastating,” coach Terry Stotts said.
“It made me sick to my stomach,” Damian Lillard added.
Nurkic, who has developed into a consistent and lethal interior force during his fifth NBA season, is having a career year. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists — all career-highs — along with 1.4 blocks, and is the anchor of the Blazers’ defense. Nurkic signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Blazers last summer, cementing his status as one of the team’s “Big Three” that also includes Lillard and CJ McCollum.
“This is all fragile,” Lillard said. “Everything about it is, other than the friendships that you have. Every little thing about the game and about the NBA season and the NBA career is fragile. (You’re) on the team one day, gone the next. You can be healthy one day, injured the next. You have a job one day, fired the next.
“That’s my little big brother. The other day after practice, Nurk just came to my house to see my son. No reason at all … he wanted to come by and see the baby. I think that says what our relationship is. It’s unfortunate.”
