OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Monday that forward/center Chet Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture.
Holmgren sustained a right iliac wing fracture during the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. The team says it expects him to return this season, and an update will be provided in eight to 10 weeks.
It鈥檚 a big loss for a team that started the season with seven straight wins and currently is tied for the Western Conference lead with an 8-2 record. Holmgren was runner-up for Rookie of the Year last season and has been one of the league鈥檚 most efficient players this season. He is averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
Holmgren contested a layup by Andrew Wiggins, collided with him and hit the floor hard. He and stayed down for a while before he was helped off the court. He did not put pressure on his right leg, but he gave a thumbs up as he hobbled off.
The Thunder led 16-12 when Holmgren was taken out and eventually fell behind by 30 late in the third quarter. Oklahoma City made it a game before .
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it was difficult to refocus after the injury.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard," he said. "Hopefully, he鈥檚 OK. It鈥檚 part of the game, but it sucks.鈥�
Oklahoma City entered Sunday night leading the league in defensive rating but didn't look like it in the second and third quarters without the team's anchor in the paint. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren is one of the league's top shot blockers, and he is agile enough to defend guards when he has to switch.
鈥淚t changed a lot for us defensively, for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander said. 鈥淵ou guys can probably tell, he does so much on that end of the floor. He cleans up so many things, deters so many things around the rim when he鈥檚 not blocking them (shots).鈥�
Still, the Thunder started the fourth quarter strong, and Oklahoma City trimmed its deficit to six in the closing minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander said there was a lesson to be learned from the second half.
鈥淓specially against good teams, you can鈥檛 go down that big," he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost impossible to come back. You鈥檝e got to be better on both ends of the ball for longer periods of time.鈥�
The Thunder, one of the deepest teams in the league, are suddenly thin in their frontcourt. Holmgren had moved from forward to center because newly-acquired big man Isaiah Hartenstein was out with a fractured left hand. The Thunder were also missing forward/center Jaylin Williams (right hamstring) and guard/forward Kenrich Williams (right knee).
Oklahoma City hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
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AP NBA:
Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
