The Minnesota Timberwolves might have just lost a key starter — perhaps indefinitely.
Early in Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo appeared to suffer an Achilles injury when he fell to the court on a non-contact play. The Timberwolves ruled DiVincenzo out of the game with a lower leg injury.
The Injury happened with 10:43 to play in the first quarter, right after DiVincenzo took a deep 3 on the left wing. When the ball bounced off the rim, DiVincenzo lunged to track the ball down, but he fell to the floor and immediately grabbed his right calf area.
The step DiVincenzo took, known as a false step or negative step, is the overwhelmingly predominant mechanism that can trigger Achilles tendon ruptures, which have increased significantly in recent seasons.
DiVincenzo sat on the floor and immediately motioned for Minnesota’s training staff to come to his aid. Once the trainers arrived, DiVincenzo writhed on the floor as the staffers tended to him.
Slow-motion replays later appeared to show his Achilles bounce or snap, which is also a common indicator of ruptures.
donte divincenzo injury; nuggets vs wolves pic.twitter.com/3aNduSzbaw
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DiVincenzo was immediately removed from the game, and no updates were immediately provided.
DiVincenzo played all 82 games this season and averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Prior to Game 4, DiVincenzo had been shooting 51.6% in the series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donte DiVincenzo injured in Timberwolves’ Game 4 playoff vs. Nuggets