LOS ANGELES – Pacers center Myles Turner left Thursday night’s game against the Clippers after getting hit by some friendly fire.
Teammate Bennedict Mathurin was attempting to block Los Angeles’ Derrick Jones Jr. in the first quarter when he inadvertently struck Turner in the face with his left arm.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr., right, shoots as Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, center, defends and also hits Pacers center Myles Turner in the face during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Turner was positioning himself for a rebound and didn’t see it coming. The veteran center went down and stayed down for several seconds as play continued.
Head coach Rick Carlisle then called timeout so Turner could get off the floor. When he got up, he looked woozy and needed help getting to the bench.
He eventually headed to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. He didn’t return.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner lays on the court after he was accidentally hit in the face by teammate Bennedict Mathurin during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Thomas Bryant filled in for Turner, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Pacers beat the Clippers 119 to 112.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Carlisle said about Turner’s injury. “He got hit in the jaw. I didn’t see the play. We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow. That will determine where it goes.”
Turner’s availability for Saturday’s game against the Lakers is up in the air.
While the Pacers primarily stayed put during the NBA’s trade deadline, they did make one move.
The team shipped injured center James Wiseman and cash considerations to the Toronto Raptors.
In exchange, the Pacers received a conditional 2026 second-round pick.
The Pacers signed Wiseman in the offseason to bolster the frontcourt. But the former No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft tore his Achilles in the first game of the season following a promising preseason. He’s expected to miss the rest of the year.
The move gives the team some salary wiggle room and opens up a roster spot.
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