76ers’ McCain to hospital for evaluation after fall

PHILADELPHIA — After a hard fall late in Wednesday’s preseason victory over the Brooklyn Nets, 76ers first-round pick Jared McCain was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for a concussion, among other things, after appearing to struggle to catch his breath on the court.

“It was rough,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s going to the hospital to get checked out. Obviously, he was having trouble breathing there, maybe got the wind knocked out of him, not sure what was going on there, but never quite seen one like that before, so let’s hope he’s OK and see what the report is from the hospital.”

McCain, who finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes, drove to the basket in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and, after colliding with a Nets defender, fell back and appeared to smack his head and back sharply on the floor at Wells Fargo Center.

He remained down for several minutes, coughing and appearing to really struggle to catch his breath, before eventually getting to his feet and being helped off the court.

The 76ers said he was being evaluated by the team’s medical staff, including for a concussion, and wouldn’t be available postgame.

McCain, 20, was the 16th pick in June’s NBA draft out of Duke and has averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 rebounds across five preseason games for the 76ers this month.