After Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren tied a career-high with six three-pointers in a 117-100 win against the Atlanta Hawks, he revealed that he had dislocated his thumb during the game.
Holmgren injured his hand in the second quarter when he went up to contest Mouhamed Gueye’s dunk. He hurt his thumb on the play and headed toward the locker room before returning in the second half. After the win, Holmgren disclosed the injury during his postgame media availability.
“We all know what happened—I got dunked on, dislocated my thumb at the same time,” Holmgren revealed. “It didn’t look too bad. Obviously, my thumb wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I see my thumb every day. It didn’t look like it normally does. But it also didn’t look completely done for. So, I tried to tell them to just pop it back into place during the timeout because I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. But they said I had to go get X-rays—that’s why I went to the back.”
Despite the injury, Holmgren finished the game with an impressive stat line: 31 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 6-for-8 from deep, 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, and three steals against the Hawks.
Currently, Holmgren is listed as questionable for the Thunder’s upcoming game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
### Chet Holmgren Ties Career-High with Six Threes vs. Hawks
Holmgren is off to a phenomenal start this season, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. His performance has even led ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins to call him elite among NBA big men.
The young forward continues to develop as a dynamic center who can score effectively in the paint and from the perimeter. His six three-pointers against Atlanta were instrumental in helping the Thunder achieve a 3-0 start as defending champions.
“When you see the ball go in a couple of times, you definitely play a lot more loose, and you’re definitely looking for the next opportunity to shoot,” Holmgren said. “But I’m not a big believer in heat checks in terms of taking a bad shot because you hit a couple. I’m still seeking out the right play, looking for good shots, and throughout the game, I felt like I did a good job of trusting that. After the first couple went in, I was able to find some more.”
Through three games this season, Holmgren is averaging 24.7 points on 56.1% shooting, including 42.1% from deep, along with 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunders-chet-holmgren-reveals-dislocated-thumb-vs-hawks
