NBA
Pistons’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Exits Game in Wheelchair After Taking Blows to Head
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Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. left Tuesday night’s 123-121 overtime win against the Miami Heat after suffering a scary injury. During the third quarter of the NBA Cup meeting, Hardaway took a blow to the head from Miami’s Bam Adebayo while on defense.
Detroit Pistons’ Tim Hardaway Jr. took an elbow to the face, a knee to his head, and then banged his head on the court
According to the video footage, Hardaway sustained two hard hits to the head on the same possession. After falling to the ground, he tried to defend a layup from Tyler Herro and once again took another hard hit to the head. He exited the tournament matchup in a wheelchair.
A bloodied Hardaway suffered an elbow to the face and a knee to his head, and he then hit his head on the court. NBA insider Chris Haynes provided an update on Hardaway’s injury after the game.
The wheelchair comes out for Tim Hardaway Jr., who took two hard hits to the head on the same possession. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hcbqeoEbML
— HEAT on FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSN_Heat) November 13, 2024
A CAT scan reportedly came back negative, per Haynes. However, he’ll get stitches where he took an elbow to the face and where the back of his head hit the court.
A timeline for Hardaway’s return to the court is still unclear. The 12-year veteran ended his outing with 11 points in 19 minutes as a starter before leaving the game.
Dallas Mavericks traded Hardaway to Detroit in the offseason for shooting guard Quentin Grimes
Through 12 games (all starts) this season, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 28.4 minutes per contest while shooting career bests of 46.5% from the floor and 47% from 3-point range.
In Detroit’s 106-98 loss at Miami on Oct. 28, he recorded a season-high 20 points on 5-of-10 (50%) shooting from the field, 3-of-6 (50%) from beyond the arc, and seven made free throws.
Hardaway joined the Pistons this offseason when the Dallas Mavericks traded him for shooting guard Quentin Grimes. The Michigan product is in the final season of a four-year, $75 million contract.
He also spent the last six seasons (2018-24) with the Mavs and helped them reach the 2024 NBA Finals, averaging 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 79 appearances (12 starts).
