Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren had to be helped off the court after a hard fall in the lane against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Holmgren, not even halfway through the first quarter of their 127-116 loss to the Warriors at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, went up to contest a layup by Andrew Wiggins on the baseline. After he made contact with Wiggins, Holmgren landed hard squarely on his right hip under the basket.
Wiggins made the run-in and didn’t draw foul, but Holmgren remained under the ring in pain for quite some time before he was eventually helped back to the locker room. Holmgren struggled to put any weight on his right leg as he left the court.
Concern here in OKC: Chet Holmgren took a shot to the side while defending Andrew Wiggins’ first quarter layup. Just needed help getting to the dressing room. Did not put weight on right leg. Seemed to be catching hip/oblique area when he was on the ground. pic.twitter.com/ZGF3mCwqmG
– Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 11, 2024
The Thunder quickly ruled Holmgren out with a hip injury after halftime. He finished with four rebounds while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Further details about his injury are not yet known.
Holmgren, whom the Thunder selected with the No. 2 overall pick in 2022 out of Gonzaga, missed his entire first season in the league with a foot injury he suffered in a pro-am game. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season, his first true year in the league, helping Oklahoma City to its first playoff appearance since 2020.
Holmgren entered Sunday’s game averaging 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in nine games this season.
After a tight first half, the Warriors flew ahead in the third quarter after scoring twice as many points as the Thunder did in the period. Although Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter on a 33-12 tear, the Warriors held on to capture the 11-point victory. That pushed them to 8-2 on the season and gave the Thunder just their second loss of the year.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 36 points and seven assists in the win while draining seven 3-pointers. Jonathan Kuminga added 20 points off the bench, and De’Anthony Melton added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander led Oklahoma City with 24 points and five rebounds. Jalen Williams finished with 20 points, and Lou Dort added 16 points and six rebounds. The Thunder will host the Los Angeles Clippers next Monday night.
