Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed optimism about the status of Derrick Jones Jr. after the forward needed to be stretchered off the court following a violent collision Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
"Let's just wait and see," Spoelstra said after the game. "We don't even know right now. He's getting a scan. He's already moving better. So let's just wait and see before we go on full scale panic mode."
League sources told ESPN that Jones isn't experiencing any numbness and will get both an MRI and a CT scan. The team later announced that Jones sustained a neck strain and will be reevaluated again over the weekend.
Jones suffered the injury while chasing Pacers forward Doug McDermott in the third quarter of the Heat's 109-92 loss Friday afternoon. He tried to maneuver around a screen from Indiana backup center Goga Bitadze but collided with the rookie big man.
Related
Jones immediately fell to the floor and stayed down on his stomach for several minutes.
"He got jarred in the shoulder, neck area," Spoelstra said. "Obviously a little bit more than a stinger -- and then we'll just see the results. He's getting a scan right now. We'll see."
Jones was moving his legs but made no attempt to get to his feet as he was attended to by the Heat's medical staff. He was immobilized and moved onto a stretcher, and players clapped for him as he was taken off the court.
"We thought it was a solid screen," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said between quarters. "We thought he got his neck caught up in Goga's shoulder. You never want to see something like that. ... We hope he's okay."
Jones, 23, entered Friday's matchup averaging 8.6 points and four rebounds per game across 59 contests (16 starts) this season. He had three points, two boards, two assists and two steals in 16 minutes before exiting the game.
