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[Saba Sports News] Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Jaylen Clark exited Sunday’s game early after a hard fall at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Clark made a highlight defensive play, stripping Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams with Minnesota leading 82-78 midway through the third quarter. He then drove to the basket against Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein but missed the layup, his momentum sending him crashing to the hardwood. His head slammed into the baseline, leaving him down for several minutes as medical staff rushed to assist him.
Before the injury, the 23-year-old was having the best game of his young career, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including two three-pointers, while adding four steals and plenty of hustle plays. Ultimately, he was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Clark had been gaining momentum, appearing in 11 straight games—the longest streak of his career—and earning his second career start Sunday. The Timberwolves selected the UCLA product 53rd overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, though he missed his entire rookie season recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in college.