Indiana Pacers guard Delon Wright left Tuesday’s preseason win over the Minnesota Timberwolves early after he took a hard shot to the head.
In the second quarter of the preseason matchup at the Target Center, Wright was dribbling near the halfcourt line when Timberwolves forward Jaylen Clark sprinted in to try and steal the ball away from the back side. Wright didn’t see Clark coming until it was too late, and he turned his head at the worst time.
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Clark’s head collided directly with the side of Wright’s as he turned left, and Wright was sent falling down to the court hard. Clark remained on his feet, and was called for a foul on the play.
Wright remained down for a bit, but was eventually helped up and walked off the floor to the locker room. He didn’t return, and the Pacers quickly ruled him out of the rest of the game with a head injury. Further specifics are not yet known.
Wright had two points in four minutes when he left the contest. The 33-year-old has bounced around throughout his career in the league. After the Toronto Raptors selected him with the No. 20 overall pick out of Utah in 2015, he’s spent time with the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Pistons, Kings, Hawks, Wizards, Heat, Bucks and Knicks before landing with the Pacers on a training camp contract. He’s trying to battle for the final spot on their roster this season. If successful, they would mark the sixth team he’s played for in the last four seasons.
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Clark was eventually ruled out of the game with neck spasms, too. He didn’t score, but had a rebound and an assist in eight minutes. He averaged 4.1 points last season during his rookie campaign in Minnesota.
RayJ Dennis led the Pacers with 16 points off the bench in the 135-134 overtime win. Pascal Siakam had 14 points and shot 3-of-5 from behind the arc in 14 minutes, and Aaron Nesmith had 12 points. Johnny Juzang led the Timberwolves with 20 points on six 3-pointers off the bench. Anthony Edwards had 17 points in 19 minutes in the loss.
The Pacers have three preseason games left before they open the season on Oct. 23 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Timberwolves have four more, including one against the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Loong-Lions, before their season-opener against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 22.