What happened to Jose Alvarado? Latest update on Puerto Rico point guard's injury vs South Sudan (July 28)
Puerto Rico's star point guard Jose Alvarado went down with a right ankle injury during the team's first game of the Paris Olympics which ended in a 90-79 loss against South Sudan at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille on Sunday.
Alvarado suffered the injury just before the half time after helping the team get off to a stupendous start. The New Orleans Pelicans star went down on the floor, grabbing his right ankle and appeared to be in excruciating pain.
The 26-year-old tried to get back up on his feet but couldn't put any weight on his right foot. Alvarado was later helped to the locker room by two Puerto Rico team trainers.
At the half time, Puerto Rico led South Sudan 54-48 and it was mainly because of the former Georgia Tech star's heroics. Alvardo scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point range.
The six-foot guard grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists in 16:09 minutes on the floor. He had +/- of +9.
Jose Alvarado shakes off injury and returns to action
Jose Alvarado didn't start the second half for Puerto Rico but was seated on the bench. The Pelicans' guard tested his ankle and reentered the game in the third quarter. He was hobbled and looked in pain but the 26-year-old kept on going for his country. Despite not being 100% fit, the Puerto Rico star scored seven points in the quarter and kept his team in the hunt after South Sudan had surged ahead.
Alvarado was on the bench to start the fourth quarter and checked into the game with six minutes left but couldn't make any significant impact.
The ankle injury clearly impacted Alvardo's performance in the second half as South Sudan wore down Puerto Rico.
Despite Alvarado's lionhearted effort and resilience, Puerto Rico lost the game as South Sudan marked their Olympic debut in style.
Overall, Alvarado finished as the game's leading scorer with 26 points in 32:13 minutes. He shot 9-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 from the 3-point range. The 6-foot guard grabbed two rebounds, dished out five assists and registered two steals. The Pelicans' guard shot 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
For South Sudan, Carlik Jones came up huge as he scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. Former Lakers player Wenyen Gabriel finished with six points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks.