Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker, left, defends Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the first half of Friday night’s game in Denver. Later in the half, Walker collapsed to the court after colliding with teammate Semi Ojeleye. David Zalubowski/Associated Press
DENVER — Celtics guard Kemba Walker was cleared to travel with the team to Boston on Saturday after a scary incident that required him to be hospitalized briefly when he fell to the court in a heap during Friday night’s game with the Denver Nuggets.
Walker collided with teammate Semi Ojeleye late in the second quarter, then crumbled to the floor. Walker was removed from the court on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
The Celtics tweeted during the game that Walker was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms. Coach Brad Stevens said after the Celtics’ 96-92 loss that he was grateful the injury wasn’t more serious.
“All the scans that he went through at halftime yielded good results,” Stevens said. “I saw him in the ambulance at halftime that took him to the hospital and he had his wherewithal and was in decent spirits, which was good, obviously.”
Stevens said he was unsure whether Walker lost consciousness, but Stevens said Walker was “out of it” and not himself.
“It hurt, and seeing anybody carried off on the stretcher after getting hurt like that, it’s tough,” Marcus Smart said after the game. “We’re just glad he’s OK and it’s not too serious. He’s going to recover. Our prayers are up for him.”
The sequence was frightening in real time, perhaps even more so for the Pepsi Center crowd when the play was shown on the video board.
The Celtics were in the process of scoring 11 straight points in the second quarter to get within 36-30 of the Nuggets. The run appeared ready to continue when Walker stepped in front of Nikola Jokic in the lane to deflect a Jamal Murray pass to Marcus Smart.
Walker had his head down, though, and ran into Ojeleye’s chest and went down. He did get his arms in front of him to block the fall, but once on the floor, he remained on his left side and did not appear to move.
While the Celtics took off with the ball, play was soon stopped. It took very little time for medical personnel attending Walker to call for a backboard.
Some eight minutes later, Walker had been placed on a stretcher and was taken from the arena.
“I just remember him running into me,” said a clearly shaken Ojeleye. “It happened so fast. It’s not something you want to be a part of, but, I mean, that’s part of the game.”
The Celtics said Walker would be reevaluated on Saturday.
Considering the severity of the impact, there is a strong chance Walker will enter the league’s concussion protocol. He would not be able to return until he is without those concussion-like symptoms at rest, is evaluated by a doctor, successfully complete the NBA’s “return-to-participation exertion protocol,” and the team doctor and the league discuss the process and decision to allow the player to return. That decision lies with the team doctor.
The Celtics finished their Western trip with a 2-3 record, and while Friday’s loss slipped them from first to third in the Eastern Conference, they had far more serious things on their mind as they prepared to head home.
“He’s a leader,” Jaylen Brown said of Walker. “He’s probably the smallest dude on the floor every time we step out, but probably has the biggest heart. We’ll welcome him back when he rests up and everything is taken care of. Right now, it’s probably best for him to get a little rest.”
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