Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston made an early exit from Tuesday’s matchup against the Seattle Storm after taking a hard fall.
The incident happened with 4:56 remaining in the second quarter as the Fever led 46-31. Boston was tripped up by Seattle’s Flau’jae Johnson as she cut to the basket and subsequently landed on her right knee. Boston immediately grabbed her right knee and writhed in pain on the ground as ESPN cut to commercial break.
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Boston was eventually helped to her feet and walked to the locker room under her own power, although she had a visible limp. Boston, who had 11 points and two rebounds in 11 minutes, is questionable to return.
“(Aliyah Boston) is just AB. She’s an All-Star. She’s one of a kind. She’s going to be a Hall of Famer one day, and so that is a load for all of us to try to pick up,” Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said at halftime. “We’re trying to keep the energy, keep the vibes high, and we’re going to be OK. I think AB’s going to be OK too, but we got to focus on this game. We need to get it for her.”
The apparent injury is particularly concerning as Boston has been nursing a right leg injury all season. Boston first suffered a right lower extremity injury while playing for Unrivaled’s Phantom BC and was ruled out the remainder of the Unrivaled season on March 1.
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Boston has missed three games this season as the Fever have tried to manage the injury.
The right lower leg injury sidelined Boston for the Fever’s 89-78 win over Seattle on May 17, snapping a streak of 275 consecutive games played dating back to her college days at South Carolina. She also sat out the Fever’s 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on July 8 and the Fever’s 110-107 win over the Seattle Storm on July 17, with both absences coming on back-to-backs.
Boston is averaging a career-high 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 assist per game this season, while shooting a career-high 46.9% from the 3-point line.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aliyah Boston injury update: Fever star exits game after hard fall
