KAI Sotto went scoreless in eight-plus minutes in his final NBA Summer League outing on Sunday and left the Orlando Magic's match against the Boston Celtics due to what sources said was a back issue.
The 7-3 center was coming off a six-point, three-shotblock debut against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday but was less effective against the Celtics as the Magic wrapped up their Vegas campaign with a fifth straight defeat, 94-77.
READ: Chot says Kai Sotto arriving July 18 for Gilas buildup
Sotto left the game with less than five minutes left in the first half and headed straight to the Magic's locker room at the Thomas & Mack Center. He never returned due to what team sources described as 'lower back pain.'
He was seen later exiting the Magic locker room wearing a back support.
The 21-year old NBA hopeful finished 0-for-3 from the field - missing a pair of shots from beyond the three-point arc - with two rebounds, an assist and two turnovers in his second and last Summer Game with the Magic.
Magic coach Dylan Murphy later confirmed the injury in his post-game interview, saying, "I thought Kai played well, but unfortunately he had that back injury that limited him from playing in the second half."
He looked out of sorts in his 8:09 minutes on the floor and even tried a fancy, behind-the-back move that ended with a bad miss from the baseline.
Robert Baker, who got the start at center, led the Magic with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the absence of top draft picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard.
Sotto was non-committal of his plans after Summer League, although national coach Chot Reyes bared he is expected to head back immediately to the Philippines to join Gilas' buildup for the Fiba World Cup.
left trailing 31-25
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