Oklahoma City Thunder big man Nerlens Noel was stretchered off the floor on Tuesday night after a scary incident during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite the injury looking horrific, Noel appears to have escaped any truly serious damage, and has been released from the hospital. Still, the Thunder announced on Wednesday that he suffered a concussion. Via NBA.com/Thunder:
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that center Nerlens Noel sustained a concussion after suffering a blow to the head from Andrew Wiggins' elbow that resulted in him losing consciousness while being knocked to the floor at the 5:16 mark of the third quarter during last night's game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol.
Noel was held overnight at OU Hospital for tests and observations and has been released today.
During the middle of the third quarter, Andrew Wiggins -- who was in the midst of another impressive game in OKC -- took it strong to the basket. Noel rose up to meet him at the rim, and while the two were in mid-air, Wiggins' lead arm caught Noel right in the face.
That blow appeared to knock Noel out cold, because he fell straight to the floor, and didn't try to brace himself. As a result, his head smacked the ground with a good amount of force, and he lay motionless for a while. You can view the video here, but be aware it's a tough one to watch.
Prayers up for Nerlens Noel. The Thunder big man caught an elbow, hit his head and had to be stretchered off 🙏 pic.twitter.com/22qPKtz1l6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 9, 2019
A stretcher quickly arrived, and the arena plunged into silence as the medical team tended to the big man. His Thunder teammates understandably looked to be shaken up by the incident.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan told reporters after the game that Noel was transported to the Oklahoma University medical center, but did not have further updates on his condition.
