Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Canaan has been stretchered off the court in the first quarter of the team's NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks after sustaining a gruesome left ankle fracture.
Canaan burst free from the defence and went up toward the net before coming down hard on his left leg, which buckled upon impact and his left foot pointed in the wrong direction as his body tumbled to the floor.
There were groans from the crowd and looks of shock from his Phoenix teammates, some of whom covered their eyes or looked away.
A timeout was called on the court, and Canaan was carted off, but the Suns overcame the incident to win 102-88.
Elsewhere, the playoff hopes of Australian Ben Simmons have been dealt a blow as his Philadelphia 76ers were downed by the lowly Brooklyn Nets.
The Australian star scored 24 points and dished out seven assists but couldn't reel in the third worst team in the Eastern Conference in the 116-108 loss.
Simmons' Sixers, who last made the playoffs in 2012, remain eighth in the East, just 1.5 games ahead of Detroit.
Fellow Australian Aron Baynes snared six rebounds and tipped in two points as his Boston Celtics trounced New York 103-73.
The Celtics dominated offensively, outshooting New York 48 per cent to 32 per cent.
Boston won for the third time in four games, getting 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists from Terry Rozier.
LeBron James scored a game-high 24 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat 91-89.
James struggled from the field, shooting only eight from 21, and had seven turnovers, but he finished with 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who remain third in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic has rebounded from handing James Harden the NBA's first 60-point triple-double by thumping the Los Angeles Lakers.
Forward Marreese Speights led seven players in double figures with 21 points while Elfrid Payton (15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals) was everywhere for the Magic in the 127-105 victory.
The Indiana Pacers players also shared scoring duties, with seven players reaching double figures as they held off the Memphis Grizzlies 105-101.
Bojan Bogdanovic, who has been struggling with his three-point shot all month, scored 21 points for the Pacers but only sank three of seven three-pointers.
Charlotte guard Kemba Walker scored 38 points, as the Hornets collected a rare road victory, 123-110, over Atlanta.
Walker scored 16 of his 19 third-quarter points after Atlanta trimmed the margin to one point midway through the period.
And CJ McCollum scored a career-high 50 points as the Portland Trail Blazers breezed past the visiting Chicago Bulls 124-108.
McCollum was 18 of 25 from the field, six of nine from three-point range and eight of eight from the free-throw line in a sterling 29-minute show for the Trail Blazers, who have won four in a row and seven of the past eight.
