What happened to Isaiah Stewart? NBA insider shares latest on Pistons center's lower leg injury
The Detroit Pistons could end up shorthanded against the New York Knicks following Isaiah Stewart's injury. The forward left the first game early hobbling with a little over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He did not return for the remainder of the contest.
As per reporter Ian Begley, the Pistons enforcer had to get imaging to assess his right leg.
Isaiah Stewart missed the last two games of the regular season due to a right knee inflammation. He was cleared to play in Game 1, but the injury to his right knee was still bothering him.
He left the game after only 19 minutes of action. Stewart registered two points on a 1-for-2 shooting clip. He also had five rebounds, one assist and two blocks. He was a +8 on the +/-, meaning the Pistons outscored the Knicks by eight points when he was on the floor.
Stewart is listed as questionable for Game 2, which will take place on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. He joins guard Jaden Ivey on Detroit's injured players list, who has been out since Jan. 3 due to a broken left fibula.
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Detroit Pistons allowed the New York Knicks to go on a massive run after Isaiah Stewart's exit
Isaiah Stewart is the type of player whose contributions don't show up on the box score. As a defensive enforcer, he usually makes things hard for offenses and that doesn't necessarily translate to blocks or steals.
His value to Detroit became evident after what happened when he exited Game 1. When he left the game in the 9:06 mark, the Pistons were up 98-92. New York would score 19 unanswered points after he left to cap a 21-0 run.
The Pistons would not score again until the 4:35 mark when Malik Beasley hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 101-111. During this stretch, there was an obvious lack of rebounding and defense from Detroit. New York rode that run to a 123-112 victory and is now up 1-0 in their series.