Scary scene on the NBA hardwood Tuesday night ... Pistons wing Tim Hardaway Jr. terrifyingly slammed his head on the ground -- and needed a wheelchair to leave the game.
The scene all unfolded in the third quarter of Detroit's matchup with the Heat at Little Caesars Arena ... when Hardaway Jr. attempted to play some physical defense against Tyler Herro.
The 32-year-old stepped in front of the driving Miami star in an effort to draw a charge ... but Herro was coming in with so much speed, he knocked Hardaway Jr.