Ricky Rubio still regaining full health

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting on the Timberwolves, who are happy to have flashy point guard Ricky Rubio back, even if his ability to contribute is still limited as he regains full health:

Not surprisingly, Ricky Rubio was held out of Sunday’s game against the Pistons. Wolves coach Flip Saunders said that Rubio, who has played in three games since returning from a severe left ankle sprain, has not been cleared to play in back-to-back games until at least after the All-Star break. Rubio will play Monday against Atlanta at Target Center.

Saunders said the rough-and-tumble game Rubio had in Friday’s victory over Memphis made the decision to sit Rubio an easy one.

“He got his knee hit a little bit, and his ankle re-twisted a little bit,” Saunders said. “We thought it best to give him a couple days off.”

Both Rubio and Shabazz Muhammad are expected to play Monday. Muhammad, who is coming back from an oblique muscle strain, missed his 16th game Sunday.

Bulls set to enjoy comforts of home

The Chicago Bulls are about to enjoy a lot of home games. A nice opportunity to feel extra comfortable and rack up a stack of wins. Maybe. Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting:

As the Bulls return home for nine of the next 10 at the United Center, beginning with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, swingman Jimmy Butler believes his team is playing with a little more urgency these days.

“Definitely,” he said. “Before you know it, the All-Star break is going to be over and then 30-something games left. Then it’s playoff time so there’s no time for mistakes and letups. We need to correct everything now.”

After six straight games on the road, it’s hard to see any kind of major progress. The Bulls dominated the Pelicans on Saturday night only after Anthony Davis injured his shoulder. They won Sunday night’s game only because the Magic disintegrated down the stretch. The only consistency over the past month for the Bulls is that they’ve been inconsistent. But in this year, after two wins on the road, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau will take them any way he can get them.

Bucks doing big things on defense

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on the Bucks, who continue to enjoy a better-than-expected season:

Defense is not optional for the Milwaukee Bucks.

They know the scrambling, hustling, switching defense they play will keep them competitive.

Better yet, it will lead to fast-break chances and easy baskets, even a few of those crowd-pleasing dunks.

Since the start of the calendar year, the Bucks have made big strides in stopping opponents and the numbers show it.

They rank second in the league since Jan. 1 in opponents field goal percentage (41.2%) and third in opponents points (92.9). They are first in opponents three-point percentage (30.2%).

The Bucks were 21st in average points allowed in late December but have risen to fifth, lowering their mark from 101.2 to 97.1 points allowed. They are second in the league in defensive efficiency — points allowed per 100 possessions — at 99.1, behind only the Golden State Warriors at 97.8. Milwaukee is third in opponents field goal percentage (43.4%), tied with Portland.

Raptors racking up nice wins lately

The Toronto Raptors are doing big things lately. And making regular appearances in the win column. Here’s the Canadian Press reporting:

James Johnson poured in a season-high 20 points to lift the Raptors to an 87-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, Toronto’s eighth victory in 10 outings.

DeMar DeRozan added 18 points, while Amir Johnson had 15 and Kyle Lowry had 12. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds in one of Toronto’s best defensive efforts of the season.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (35-17) were coming off a huge 123-107 win over the Clippers on Friday that saw them claw their way back from an early 20-point deficit.

They never led by more than 10 in Sunday’s dogfight, and went into the fourth quarter up 64-58 in front of an Air Canada Centre capacity crowd of 19,800 that included Toronto FC’s newest acquisition Sebastian Giovinco.

Unclear when Blake Griffin will return for Clippers

Unclear when Blake Griffin will return for Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers face a true test in the near future, as Blake Griffin won’t be around to dunk, rebound and all those other fun things that he contributes. It’s not yet known how long he’ll be out. Here’s the Orange County Register reporting:

Unclear when Blake Griffin will return for Clippers

“Tough.”

Chris Paul, not the happiest player right now, used that word 10 times in 96 seconds after the Clippers lost, 131-108, Sunday afternoon.

He undersold it.

Sure, the Clippers lost their fourth game in a row, but the team got way worse news Saturday night.

All-Star forward Blake Griffin will leave the team to fly to Los Angeles and undergo surgery Monday to remove a staph infection from his right elbow. Griffin, the team’s leading scorer, will be out between 10 days and six weeks.

He’s scheduled to be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

Griffin, who has had issues with a burst bursa sac in that elbow since he was in high school, had fluid from the elbow drained as recently as last week while the team was in New York.

Steven Adams out at least three weeks after hand surgery

Steven Adams out at least three weeks after hand surgery

Steven Adams out at least three weeks after hand surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams underwent successful surgery today to address a fracture in the fourth metacarpal of his right hand, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.

The procedure was performed by Thunder team physicians at McBride Hospital in Oklahoma City. Adams will be re-evaluated in three weeks, at which time a further update will be provided.

In 50 games this season (all starts), Adams is averaging 7.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.22 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game. He was recently selected to participate in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge for a second consecutive season as part of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend festivities.