Elena Delle Donne Helped off Court After Apparent Knee Injury vs. Dream

A nightmare scenario for the Washington Mystics came true Tuesday night as Elena Delle Donne suffered a possibly devastating injury in the fourth quarter:

Despite the apparent severity of the injury, she was relatively upbeat after the game.

"I mean I'm walking," Delle Donne said, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post. "The swelling isn't terrible, so I'll go home and see our doctors and see what they say, but I'm hopeful."

The Mystics were locked in a heated Game 2 battle in the WNBA semifinals against the Atlanta Dream when their top scorer was helped off the court with just a few minutes remaining.

Atlanta came away with a 78-75 victory to even the series at 1-1.

Delle Donne ranked third in the WNBA with 20.7 points per game this season, earning her fifth All-Star selection in six years in the league.

She was also the league's MVP in 2015 while a member of the Chicago Sky.

The 28-year-old has especially stepped up for Washington in the playoffs, leading the team to a Game 1 win over the Dream with 32 points and 13 rebounds. She was on her way to another dominant showing with 27 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in Game 2 before the injury.

Lindsay Gibbs of ThinkProgress noted the impact she has on the floor:

The Mystics are set to return home for Game 3 of the five-game series on Friday, but it could be difficult for them to advance to the next round without Delle Donne if the injury turns out to be serious.

Kristi Toliver and Ariel Atkins will have to be among those who step up offensively with the star forward unavailable.