Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Jaden Ivey writhed in pain while holding the back of his leg before being wheeled away on a stretcher during a win over the Orlando Magic. Players from both teams shed tears during the emotional incident.
The Pistons did not provide an update on Ivey's status after the 105-96 win Wednesday in Detroit. Ivey, who scored a team-high 22 points, sustained the injury about two minutes into the fourth quarter.
"It's tough," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "There is no better teammate, person than J.I. No one cares more about this thing than him. It's tough to see."
The Pistons led the Magic 84-79 with about 10:07 left when the injury occurred. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham missed a 3-point attempt to start the sequence. Big man Isaiah Stewart batted the ball off the rim and back toward the free throw line.
Ivey ran into the area, with Magic guard Cole Anthony also in pursuit of the loose ball. Anthony dove toward the ball, but inadvertently fell into the outside of Ivey's left leg, causing it to bend awkwardly.
Ivey then fell to the floor, grabbed the leg and writhed in pain. Trainers tended to the Pistons guard as his teammates, coaches and Magic players surrounded the area. Anthony shed tears as he watched Ivey be loaded onto the stretcher and taken out of the arena.
"It was heartbreaking to see that happen," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "You are out there competing as best as you can and you never want to see that happen to anyone. Our thoughts and our prayers are with him.
"We are praying that it's not as bad as it looked. I pray for a speedy recovery, whatever the case may be."
The Pistons went on an 8-0 run later in the fourth quarter to clinch their victory. Forward Tim Hardaway Jr. scored all 10 of his points over the final 12 minutes to help fuel that rally.
Pistons center Jalen Duren totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds. Cunningham chipped in 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Ivey made 8 of 11 shots, including a 5 of 6 clip from 3-point range, en route to his 22 points.
"It's tough," said Duren, who scored 10 points in the second half. "Like I said, that's our brother. That's a guy [Ivey] that I've been with my whole career. To see him go down like that, you never want to see that in this game.
"We're going to keep him in our prayers, we praying for him throughout the game, and we got this win for him."
Ivey, 22, averaged a career-high 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game through 30 starts this season. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game through the first 181 appearances of his career. He averaged 19.2 points per game over his last five appearances.
The Pistons (15-18) will host the Charlotte Hornets (7-25) at 7 p.m. EST Friday in Detroit. The Magic (20-15) will take on the Toronto Raptors (8-26) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Toronto.
