Athletes often react differently when they know they’ll be playing on primetime television. Some rise to the occasion, while others struggle with the extra added pressure.
The latter seemed to be the case for Enes Kanter during Thursday night’s game against the Mavericks, which was broadcasted nationally on TNT. Kanter fouled Justin Anderson with roughly one second remaining on the shot clock late in the first quarter of the game, and was not happy about it. He was visibly frustrated, and head coach Billy Donovan was not thrilled about him jumping into the Mavericks swingman near the three-point arc, either.
His frustration appeared to boil over into the second quarter, when he went over to the team’s bench and punched a chair.
Enes Kanter (wrist) won't return tonight after smacking the Thunder's bench. pic.twitter.com/ohMnimbyyt
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) January 27, 2017
Here’s a more close-up view of the incident.
Here's the moment Enes Kanter hit his hand on the bench injuring his wrist. #Thunder pic.twitter.com/ILVo6orLhf
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) January 27, 2017
Kanter left the game, and the news about the injury is not good, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
After punching a chair on bench tonight, there's a fear OKC's Enes Kanter fractured his right hand, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2017
UPDATE:
Thunder coach Billy Donovan reports that Kanter sustained a fractured forearm.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2017
The Thunder can’t afford to lose Kanter, as they don’t have much frontcourt depth, so this boneheaded move could really cost the team going forward.
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