Onyeka Okongwu suffered a dental fracture when he was elbowed in the mouth in Atlanta’s last game, and will be out at least for the Hawks’ matchup with the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
Okongwu was elbowed by Celtics guard Jaylen Brown as Brown possessed the ball in the fourth quarter of a 117-106 Hawks’ win on Wednesday night. Brown was called for a flagrant foul. A bloodied Okongwu returned for a foul shot before exiting the game.
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Okongwu was missing at least one tooth as a result. After the game, Brown said the contact was unintentional.
“Just being aggressive like I always am. Just a basketball play, it’s unfortunate,” Brown said. “Okongwu’s a good player, and I know from my own experience with a fractured face and chipped teeth. … It wasn’t intentional, and I know it’s going to be a long day at the dentist for him, so hopefully he has a good recovery.”
Brown sustained a maxillary facial fracture two seasons ago after colliding with teammate Jayson Tatum while reaching for an offensive rebound. He returned to the court wearing a protective mask following a four-game absence.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder commented on Okongwu’s injury after the game.
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“He’s tough,” Snyder said. “It’s a good thing that dentistry is a profession. I don’t know what he’s going to need. He’s pretty banged up. He took quite a shot. So I told him he’s still handsome, but it’s a good thing that people can repair his teeth, because he’s going to need some work.”
Okongwu finished the game with 17 points and six rebounds. He shot 6 of 12 from the field and 2 of 6 from 3-point range. Not long after the buzzer, Okongwu applauded his team’s win and shared an image of the injury on his Instagram story. The Hawks also posted a video on social media of Okongwu celebrating in the locker room while clutching his mouth.
The Hawks aim to extend their four-game win streak against the Rockets.
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AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
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