Duke Miles injury update: Porter Moser gives status of OU guard after having teeth knocked out

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser offered a brief update on guard Duke Miles after a hard fall in Saturday’s 93-87 win against Mississippi State. Miles dove for a loose ball in the second half and face planted on the court, knocking out some of his teeth in the process.

Miles would somehow tough it out and be able to return to the game later. Sooners trainer Seth Tisdale revealed postgame that the guard chipped two of his teeth as a result of the effort play.

Although the cosmetics of the situation are certainly not ideal, Moser assured fans that Miles was “doing fine” while speaking postgame.

“Our team dentist was in there when I left to do the radio, so I know his teeth weren’t that pretty,” the coach said. “So we’ll have the doc do his magic. He was doing fine. We talked to him. He was just hustling. He was diving for a ball.”

Miles finished the game with three points, one rebounds and one assist across 16 minutes. Although those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, Moser still lauded him for the effort he put forth and his willingness to get back in the game even after taking such a shot.

“He’s just toughness,” Moser said. “I know his box score won’t say it, but he had some really good tough plays with that. That’s that joy. Just different guys stepping up.”

The victory came at a much-needed time for OU as it snapped a five-game losing streak. The Sooners now improve to 17-10 (4-10 SEC) on the season and are still considered a bubble team to make the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma faces a ranked opponent in each of its next three games and then closes the season against rival Texas on March 8. That in mind, the Sooners have a tough road ahead of them to prove themselves worthy of a March Madness bid.

Perhaps the play from Miles can be inspiring to the rest of his teammates, though, as they enter a critical stretch of the season. The senior ranks third on the team this season with 10.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and will look to kick it into another gear down the stretch.

The Sooners next have a matchup coming up against No. 17 Kentucky on Wednesday in Norman and will need every bit of support from the crowd to pull off a win there.