Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. helped off court after right knee injury
Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. exited Sunday’s game against the Knicks after sustaining a right knee injury with 10:45 remaining in the second quarter.
While Jones, 21, was driving to the basket on a fastbreak, he was fouled by New York’s Allonzo Trier and looked to come up awkwardly on his right leg. X-rays on the injured knee returned negative, according to the Heat, but an MRI should be more telling.
Madison Square Garden was silent with Jones down on the court after a replay was shown on the video screen.
Shortly after the play, injured Heat point guard Goran Dragic tweeted, “Prayers up [Derrick Jones].”
With Jones unable to shoot the ensuing free throws, he was ineligible to return to the game. The Knicks selected center Hassan Whiteside to shoot Jones’ free throws.
Jones has been one of the Heat’s bright spots this season, developing into a rotation player. He entered Sunday averaging 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 36 games.
But Jones has taken on a bigger role recently, playing in 23 of the Heat’s past 24 games entering Sunday. He averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals during this stretch.
The athletic Jones was hoping to participate in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest, but said he had not been invited yet. Nicknamed “Airplane Mode,” Jones’ vertical leap was once measured at 48 inches.
This story was originally published January 27, 2019 at 8:34 PM.
