INDIANAPOLIS – When the Indiana Pacers return to the court after the All-Star break, Myles Turner is expected to be in the lineup.
Turner missed three games after being inadvertently hit in the face by teammate Bennedict Mathurin. While he was initially in concussion protocol, the team said he suffered a cervical strain.
“It’s been tough,” Turner said of the injury. “The toughest thing has been watching, I guess. I just want to be out there, make a difference and get back.”
Turner was injured in the first quarter of Indiana’s game against the Clippers. He missed subsequent games against the Lakers, Knicks and Wizards. The Pacers lost two of the three.
After getting hit, Turner went down. When he got up, he appeared unsteady on his feet. Head coach Rick Carlisle quickly called a timeout to pull him from the game.
“I got mad respect for UFC fighters, boxers,” he joked. “I think I got hit in the perfect spot.”
Turner didn’t think he lost consciousness, but he definitely got his bell rung.
“I just went limp for a second. I was shocked, but I was able to get up.”
Turner said his family was concerned about the hit. When watching replays of the incident, he didn’t even realize he’d set a screen before Carlisle called the timeout.
“Even when it happened, I wanted to go out there and keep playing. Obviously, that couldn’t happen.”
Turner said there’s no “perfect” time to get injured but having it happen before the break gave him extra time to recover. He was able to unwind in Florida and catch some sunshine.
Reporters asked Turner about the trade deadline. It’s an annual tradition for the versatile center’s name to pop up in potential trades. He joked about it on social media by posting the logo from the TV show “Survivor.”
“It’s always PTSD with that type of stuff,” he said, referring to the trade deadline. “I think, if anything, me posting that, I was kind of joking around, and the game got me right back [with the injury].”
Turner was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice. He’s expected to return to the lineup when the Pacers host Memphis on Thursday night.
Indiana (30-23) is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one game up on the Milwaukee Bucks.