Portland center Enes Kanter said his separated shoulder worsened during the first of four overtimes Friday night, a marathon game in which his Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets, 140-137.
Kanter originally suffered the injury in the deciding fifth game of the Blazers’ first-round series with Oklahoma City.
“First overtime, I think I separated my shoulder more,” he told reporters after the win, which gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals. “I had to tuck my arm into my jersey because I couldn’t carry my arm. I’m glad we got a win, man. Whatever it takes. You’ve got to sacrifice everything. I’m proud of my teammates.”
Postgame, Kanter tweeted a photo of himself on a medical table, clearly about to receive treatment. He had a pained expression on his face, with his left arm under the shoulder strap of his jersey.
He captioned the photo: “Whatever it freaking takes #RIPCity”
Whatever it freaking takes #RipCity pic.twitter.com/ok9l0Mf5I8
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 4, 2019
Kanter played 56 of 68 possible minutes Friday night, scoring 18 points and adding 15 rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
“Sometimes you’ve got to make some sacrifices to get a win,” he said. “I’ll get some painkillers for the next game. I hope I can play. But I’ll be fine.”
In his postgame comments Friday night, Blazers coach Terry Stotts praised Kanter.
“He’s a warrior,” Stotts said. “I don’t know how much pain he’s in. It looks like it’s a painful situation for him. … We wouldn’t be in the position we’re in without him. He’s remarkable.”
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
