Thunder star Chet Holmgren helped off court with hip injury after hard fall early in loss to Warriors

Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren had to be helped off the court after a hard fall in the lane against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.

Holmgren, not even midway through the first quarter of their 127-116 loss to the Warriors at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, went up to contest a layup from Andrew Wiggins on the baseline. After he made contact with Wiggins, Holmgren landed hard directly on his right hip underneath the basket.

Wiggins made the layup and did not draw a foul, but Holmgren remained under the hoop in pain for quite some time before he was eventually helped back to the locker room. Holmgren struggled to put any weight on his right leg as he left the court.

The Thunder quickly ruled Holmgren out with a hip injury after halftime. He finished with four rebounds while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Further specifics on his injury are not yet known.

Holmgren, whom the Thunder selected with the No. 2 overall pick in 2022 out of Gonzaga, missed his entire first season in the league with a foot injury he sustained in a pro-am game. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season, his first true year in the league, while helping Oklahoma City to its first playoff appearance since 2020.

Holmgren entered Sunday’s game averaging 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in nine games this season.

After a tight first half, the Warriors flew ahead in the third quarter after they scored twice as many points as the Thunder did in the period. Though Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter on a 33-12 tear, the Warriors held on to grab the 11-point win. That pushed them to 8-2 on the season and handed the Thunder just their second loss of the year.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 36 points and seven assists in the win while draining seven 3-pointers. Jonathan Kuminga added 20 points off the bench, and De’Anthony Melton added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander led Oklahoma City with 24 points and five rebounds. Jalen Williams finished with 20 points, and Lou Dort added 16 points and six rebounds. The Thunder will host the Los Angeles Clippers next on Monday night.