Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu has some serious dental work in his future after taking an elbow to the face during Atlanta’s 117-106 win over the Boston Celtics Wednesday.
Taking to his Instagram Story after the game, Okongwu shared a photo of his bloodied mouth and some of his front teeth, which appeared pushed back and knocked out of place.
“Good winssss birdsss,” Okongwu wrote.
Okongwu caught an elbow in the mouth from Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who was trying split a double-team from Okongwu and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels during the fourth quarter.
Brown was assessed a flagrant 1 offensive foul.
Okongwu went over to the bench and then jogged back onto the court to shoot his two free throws.
He made one to give the Hawks a 107-92 lead over Boston.
After the game, Brown explained that his elbow to Okongwu’s face “wasn’t intentional,” and sympathized with him over the injury.
“Just being aggressive like I always am,” Brown said. “Just a basketball play. It’s unfortunate. Okongwu is a good player.
“I know from my own experiences with a fractured face and chipped teeth, that s–t is a hassle. It wasn’t intentional, and I know it’s going to be a long day at the dentist tomorrow, so hopefully he has a good recovery.”
It’s unclear if Okongwu, who’s only missed two of the Hawks’ games this season, will miss time for dental work.
“I mean, he’s tough,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “He took quite a shot. It’s a good thing that dentistry as a profession is — I don’t know what he’s going to need, but he’s pretty banged up. He took quite a shot.
“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.”
Okongwu finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.
