Miami Heat Derrick Jones Jr. was disqualified from court and fit for a collar after collision with Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze late in the third quarter Friday.
Jones tried to get a screen from Bitadze when he collided with the 6-foot-11 center and fell to the floor. Jones lay for several minutes on his stomach with his right hand over the back of his head.
Players from both teams stood in silence on the court as Heat staff and eventually medical staff tended to Jones. When the brace was on, they rolled him onto a backboard and lifted him onto a stretcher before pulling him off the floor.
The Heat later diagnosed Jones Jr. with a neck strain after a series of scans and tests. The team added that he would re-evaluate over the weekend.
Heat center Bam Adebayo, one of Jones’ closest friends on the team and one who did not play in Friday’s game, followed the group of rescue workers off the floor. Jones appeared to be moving in most of his extremities, tapping several times on the toes of his sneakers on the court while he was being evaluated.
Jones averaged 8.6 points, 4 rebounds and 23.4 minutes for the Heat this season. He won the slam dunk championship during the All-Star break.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
