While playing during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric injured his knee while landing on a jump stop. He limped off the court and appears unable to finish the finals. The Associated Press has the story:
Dario Saric tears ACL in right knee, appears to drop out of NBA finals
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric has a torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered during the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.
Saric’s right knee appeared to buckle when he landed on a jump stop while trying to score against Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez. Shortly afterward, he limped off the court and into the locker room.
The team confirmed the severity of the injury on Wednesday.
“It’s just one of those situations that literally breaks your heart,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Dario is a guy that I’ve been with twice. I coached him in Philly, and to get a chance to be with him here, he’s what Suns basketball is about. Hard worker, unbelievable guy and he was so looking forward to playing in these Finals.
“And to play a few minutes and have that kind of injury, it was a tough thing to hear this morning.”
The 6-foot-10 Saric is one of the team’s main contributors off the bench, averaging 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in about 11 minutes per game. The team has relatively thin depth in the frontcourt, and turned to Torrey Craig and Frank Kaminsky to fill most of Saric’s minutes in the 118-105 victory in Game 1.
Craig has been a regular part of the playing rotation, but Kaminsky hasn’t seen much time in the postseason.
By DAVID BRANDT
