Some eyebrows were raised when veteran Nets swingman Paul Pierce was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal of his right hand Monday, two days after he was held out of Saturday’s game in Memphis with a bruised right hand.
But the reason for the confusing timeline of events leading up to the diagnosis was the Nets didn’t know the severity of Pierce’s injury for days, according to multiple league sources, because a pair of X-rays initially failed to reveal any kind of fracture.
It wasn’t until an MRI exam was performed Monday, sources said, when the very small crack in Pierce’s shooting hand was found. The fracture will keep him out for the next 2-4 weeks.
Pierce initially began feeling pain in his hand during the first half of Friday’s blowout loss to the Rockets after he said he was hit with an elbow on the hand. He was taken for an X-ray at halftime, which came back negative.
Pierce was available to play in the second half, but with the Nets trailing 66-40 at the break, head coach Jason Kidd opted to sit Pierce and most of his starters for the entire second half.
When Pierce woke up on Saturday morning in Memphis and continued to feel pain in his hand, he was taken for a second X-ray, which again came back negative, according to sources. At that point, the Nets opted to hold Pierce out of Saturday’s game with what they termed a “bruised” right hand.
The Nets returned to New York on Sunday, and Pierce went for an MRI on Monday, when sources said the small crack was finally discovered.
“It’s unfortunate for [Pierce],” Kevin Garnett, who also played with Pierce on the Celtics, said Tuesday. “I knew something was wrong with him because I’ve seen him play through a lot of different injuries, and for him to keep inquiring and trying to understand what was wrong with his hand, I knew it had to be something very, very serious and I mean, put it on the list.
“It’s a difficult time around here and Paul’s injury doesn’t help anything.”
Pierce has yet to speak with the media since being hurt, but is expected to do so within the next several days.
His loss comes at the worst time for the Nets. Two of their other experienced wing players, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko, remain sidelined with a sore left knee and back spasms, respectively. That has thrust Alan Anderson – who was the last player signed to the roster this summer – into a starting role, and has meant the Nets have been playing second-year forward Tornike Shengelia and power forward Mirza Teletovic behind Anderson at small forward.