During the third quarter of a crucial Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trail Blazers were dealt a brutal blow to a player who had stepped up big as of late. Around the midway point of the third quarter of their second-round matchup in the NBA playoffs, Rodney Hood went down with an apparent knee injury. It was a scary scene, as Hood ran into a screen by Torrey Craig and after taking a few steps immediately grabbed his leg and went to the ground, as Def Pen Hoops showed. Rodney Hood crumbles to the floor after the Craig screen…. Prayers out to him ? pic.twitter.com/byfyk1X6bA — Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 12, 2019 After the scene, Blazers players immediately ran onto the floor in order to check on their teammate, and Hood laid on the ground in obvious pain. The scene was caught on camera, courtesy of Bleacher Report NBA. Rodney Hood is down with an apparent leg injury ? pic.twitter.com/SwTTiSegAQ — Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) May 12, 2019 Rodney Hood Injury: Blazers Guard Helped to Locker Room It was a brutal scene to watch, and you have to feel for Hood, as he received help getting back to the locker room. He didn’t immediately get up, and when he did, the Blazers guard needed to be helped back to the locker room, which Sports Illustrated revealed. Rodney Hood was helped to the locker room after going down following a screen pic.twitter.com/d6BrIxOkFb — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 12, 2019 Follow the Heavy NBA Facebook page for all the latest stories, rumors and viral content! While the concern level was incredibly high, it appears things may not be quite as bad as originally thought, allowing Blazers fans to breathe a small sigh of relief. Trail Blazers Provide Rodney Hood Knee Injury Update There was some positive news which came to light after the injury. Both on the ABC broadcast and on social media, the Blazers revealed that Hood had suffered a left knee hyperextension. He’s questionable to return to the game, which is somewhat surprising after seeing the play. Rodney Hood (left knee hyperextension) is questionable to return. — Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 12, 2019 Obviously, this could have been far worse than a knee hyperextension, although the amount of pain Hood was in after the play makes it tough to imagine that he’ll return on Sunday afternoon. Regardless, should the Blazers advance past the Nuggets, it’s a positive sign that the former Duke Blue Devil will likely be able to return to the court sooner than later. There’s a good chance that if Hood does remain out for this game that he’ll receive an MRI after the game, so more information should come to light in the near future. Regardless, we’ll monitor his status and the situation for the Blazers guard as Game 7 gets closer to wrapping up. Hood is coming off by far his best game of the playoffs, as he scored 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting during Portland’s crucial Game 6 win. Over the first six games of the second-round matchup, he’s averaged 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and shot 62.4 percent from the field. READ NEXT: NBA Finals Schedule 2019: Dates, Times & Championship Predictions<doc-sep>Portland Trail Blazers wing Rodney Hood has had some big moments in his team’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, he just left today’s Game 7 in considerable pain. Hood was injured when he got clipped by a legal screen by the Nuggets’ Torrey Craig. His left leg got caught and buckled. Hood went down immediately and was eventually helped up by teammates. He walked off the court and was taken to the locker room. Rodney Hood goes down pic.twitter.com/EXZ1fUmAj2 — NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) May 12, 2019 The Blazers are saying Hood has a left knee hyperextension and is questionable to return. Rodney Hood (left knee hyperextension) is questionable to return. — Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 12, 2019 Before exiting the game, Hood scored six points in 20 minutes off the bench. The Blazers and Nuggets are locked in a tight battle in Game 7. The winner will play the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. You can watch the fourth quarter of Nuggets-Trail Blazers on ABC.<doc-sep>
John Leyba/Associated Press The Portland Trail Blazers received good news regarding Rodney Hood as the MRI came back clean and he is considered day-to-day heading into the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers shared the word, noting Hood has a bone bruise in his left knee. Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic first reported Hood's status. Hood was forced to leave Sunday's Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets with what was described as a left knee hyperextension. The 26-year-old only had six points in 20 minutes before the injury, but he has shown he can be an impactful player when he is at his best. Hood scored 25 points on 8-of-12 from the field in an important win in Game 6 of the second-round series, giving the Blazers a much-needed third option behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. He also scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the four overtime win in Game 3. This ability to produce without needing a lot of possessions is huge for a team trying to keep its playoff run going. Evan Turner stepped up in Game 7 with 14 points and seven rebounds, but he only had seven total points in the postseason coming into that game. He will be asked to take on a bigger role once again if Hood can't play, but his lack of consistency is a significant concern. Video Play Button Videos you might like Seth Curry will also need to make a bigger impact off the bench going forward. Meanwhile, Hood will hope to get more chances to prove himself on the big stage before heading into free agency this summer.