In Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets, former Duke Basketball standout Rodney Hood suffered a knee injury in the second half.
It was the best playoff series of his career, and Rodney Hood was forced to leave Game 7 early with a knee injury suffered in the third quarter.
Hood was back pedaling near half-court, guarding Jamal Murray and Torrey Craig set a back screen on Hood and he took a misstep and went down in pain, clutching his left knee.
Rodney Hood goes down pic.twitter.com/EXZ1fUmAj2
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) May 12, 2019
He was helped off the floor and back to the locker room, putting little pressure on his left leg.
The Portland Trail Blazers announced that Hood suffered a hyperextended left knee and would not return for the remainder of the game.
Portland defeated the Denver Nuggets 100-96 and will face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
In 20 minutes of action, Hood finished with six points on 2-of-6 shooting and missing all three of his 3-point attempts along with three rebounds. In the series he averaged 14.7 points per game on 58.3% shooting from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range.
Rodney Hood told reporters after the game that he tried to go back in the game after putting a knee pad on, but knew that if he went back out on the floor, he would be ineffective.
The Blazers desperately needed Hood in this series after he really struggled in the First Round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hood came off the bench in Game 3 in 4OT to lead Portland to a victory and then dropped a playoff career high 25 points in Game 6 to help keep the Blazers season alive.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors is on Tuesday, May 14, and Hood’s status is still unknown for that game and the series.