The Orlando Magic suffered a big loss last night in their season opening game against the Denver Nuggets.  Hedo Turkoglu suffered a broken left hand in the team's 102-89 victory.  Turkoglu will be evaluated further today, and the extent of the injury should be determined.

According to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the loss of Turkoglu means the Magic will have to go with a smaller lineup.  Schmitz says the Magic will probably have to move a shooting guard like Aaron Affalo to Turkoglu's spot (small forward).  If he does that, J.J. Reddick will likely slide into the shooting guard role and start rather than come off the bench.


Turkoglu was injured in the third quarter of the game when he swiped for the ball.  There is a chance that he could miss significant time with the fractured hand, but the Magic are hoping that its simply a minor break.  While Orlando has some talent on their team, the loss of Turkoglu could be tough to overcome.  He is a veteran who knows what it takes to win.

Turkoglu is in his 13th NBA season.  He is also in his second stint with the Orlando Magic.  The Sacramento Kings originally drafted him in 2003 but he was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs.  He played one season for the Spurs, became a free agent, and signed with the Magic.  In total, Turkoglu has played for the Magic twice, the Kings, the Spurs, the Toronto Raptors, and the Phoenix Suns.

In his career, Turkoglu has averaged 12.0 points per game.  He has never made an All-Star Game, but he is an above-average player.
Follow @hoopsinjurynews