Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu suffered a painful dental fracture after taking an elbow to the mouth in Atlanta’s most recent outing and will miss at least Thursday night’s game against the Houston Rockets.
The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of the Hawks’ 117–106 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Okongwu was elbowed by Celtics guard Jaylen Brown while Brown had possession of the ball. Officials assessed Brown with a flagrant foul on the play.
Despite bleeding heavily, Okongwu briefly returned to the floor to take a foul shot before exiting the game. It was later confirmed that he was missing at least one tooth as a result of the contact. Brown addressed the incident after the game, stressing that the collision was not deliberate.
“Just being aggressive like I always am. Just a basketball play, it’s unfortunate,” Brown said. “Okongwu’s a good player, and I know from my own experience with a fractured face and chipped teeth. … It wasn’t intentional, and I know it’s going to be a long day at the dentist for him, so hopefully he has a good recovery.”
Brown referenced his own injury history, having suffered a maxillary facial fracture two seasons ago after colliding with teammate Jayson Tatum while going for an offensive rebound. Brown missed four games before returning with a protective mask.
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder also commented on Okongwu’s condition, praising the center’s toughness while acknowledging the severity of the blow.
“He’s tough,” Snyder said. “It’s a good thing that dentistry is a profession. I don’t know what he’s going to need. He’s pretty banged up. He took quite a shot. So I told him he’s still handsome, but it’s a good thing that people can repair his teeth, because he’s going to need some work.”
Before leaving the game, Okongwu delivered a strong performance, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. He shot 6-of-12 from the field and knocked down two of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Shortly after the final buzzer, Okongwu applauded the team’s effort and later shared an image of his injury on his Instagram story. The Hawks also posted a video of him celebrating in the locker room while holding his mouth.
Atlanta now looks to extend its four-game winning streak when it hosts the Rockets, though it will have to do so without one of its key frontcourt contributors.
