Jalen Suggs suffered one bad back injury on Friday.
In the second quarter of a game against the Toronto Raptors, the Orlando Magic guard went down with what appeared to be a non-contact back injury while lunging for the ball on defense. He remained on the floor for more than a minute before being pulled onto a wheelchair.
Suggs, who was in visible pain the entire time, exited the court to applause from the Scotiabank Arena crowd.
Suggs in his fourth NBA season and was enjoying career highs in points (16.8 per game), rebounds (4.2) and minutes (29.5) this season entering Friday. The former fifth overall pick has carved out a reputation as a standout defender, earning second-team NBA All-Defense honors last season. He’s missed time in the past due to thumb and ankle injuries, but doesn’t have a known history of back issues.
The Magic entered the game against the Raptors fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-15 record, but could now be without Suggs for a significant amount of time.
