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Knicks’ Ron Baker suffered fractured face when Anthony Davis dunked on him

Anthony Davis, Michael Beasley, Kyle O'Quinn, Ron Baker

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dunks between New York Knicks forward Michael Beasley (8), center Kyle O’Quinn, left, and guard Ron Baker (31) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

AP

This is just adding injury to insult.

Last Saturday Ron Baker ended up as the prop in a dunk of the season candidate by Anthony Davis. When Davis spun baseline and blew past Kristaps Porzingis to line up a dunk, Baker tried to come in with some rim protection and it went poorly. Very poorly.

Baker was caught in the face by Davis’ off-arm — an elbow to the eye that sent Baker straight to the locker room. Now he’s going to miss at least one game with a fractured orbital bone, and he will be playing with a mask for a while.

Should that have been a foul on Davis? I don’t think so, as he didn’t make a motion to push Baker away, this was just inadvertent. And ugly. That said, league referees have been instructed to protect players in the case of a blow to the head, and this certainly was that.

Baker had a good sense of humor about it.
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