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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who exited Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter due to a left foot injury, underwent an MRI on Wednesday night. The MRI indicated that Curry suffered a sprained left foot ligament.
He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins received second opinions yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, which confirmed the original diagnoses and treatment plans for a right foot strain, including a plantar fascia tear, as well as a right ring finger sprain.
Dr. Michelle Carlson of HSS administered an anti-inflammatory shot in his finger yesterday and he was fitted with custom splints, which he will wear for the remainder of the season.
Over the next few days, Collins will undergo a non-surgical procedure on his right foot at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex.
His status will be updated in 10-14 days.
The Denver Nuggets haven’t been at full strength this season. Here’s the Denver Post with the latest on a few of their key injured players:
Just like every hopeful Nuggets fan, Will Barton has allowed his mind to wander.
As good as the Nuggets are (25-12 since Jan. 1), Barton knows what the potential returns of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray could mean for the Nuggets during the playoffs.
Six months into the season, depending on their returns, his workload could get significantly lighter. And in turn, the Nuggets could level up from a dangerous postseason matchup to a deep, multifaceted offense.
“Of course,” he told The Denver Post. “You can’t shy away from that.
“Obviously, we’re missing two great players. We’ll welcome them back, but we gotta focus on what’s going on in the present. … When we get the word that they’re coming back, we’ll take it from there.”
Porter, it appears, is trending closer to a return than Murray following back surgery on Dec. 1.
The Boston Celtics are absolutely on fire. Via Boston.com:
The Celtics are coming for a top seed in the Eastern Conference, and no one seems able to stop them at the moment.
Boston (42-28) currently sits fourth overall in the East with 12 games to play. Though they might be too far behind the conference-leading Miami Heat (four games) to claim the No. 1 seed, they have a legitimate chance at gaining the two games of ground on the Milwaukee Bucks for the second seed.
No matter where they end up, though, the Celtics could be a very tough out in the postseason. One could make the claim they’re the best team in the NBA right now.
A terrific Golden State Warriors season has hit a roadblock. Via the San Jose Mercury News:
Warriors star Steph Curry will miss an indefinite amount of time with a sprained ligament in his left foot, according to reports.
Curry injured his foot when Marcus Smart rolled over his leg during Wednesday night’s game against the Celtics. Curry had an MRI and X-rays that did not reveal a fracture or major damage to the ligaments…
Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson played together on Monday for the first time in 1,005 days only to be broken up again by injury a game later.
The regular season ends April 10. Hopefully Curry is able to be 100 percent, or somewhat close, by the start of the playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers have signed forward Justin Anderson to a 10-day contract.
Per the Indianapolis Star, “Anderson’s 10-day contract temporarily fills the Pacers’ open roster spot, which was created last month after Tristan Thompson was acquired from Sacramento in the Tyrese Haliburton-Domantas Sabonis trade and waived after four games. Thompson is now with the Bulls, while Anderson is back with the Pacers for the second time this season. The former Virginia star signed a 10-day deal with Indiana under the NBA’s COVID-19 hardship exception in January, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in three games.”
Anderson will wear number 10 for the Pacers.
Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren, who has not played since early last season, will not make his return to action this season.
Per ESPN.com, “although Indiana Pacers guard T.J. Warren has recovered from consecutive stress fractures in his left foot and returned to full basketball activities, he will sit out Indiana’s final 12 games and prepare for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN. Warren, 28, has missed the entirety of this season and played only four games in 2020-21 with the stress fractures.”
“Our organization’s guiding principle will always center on a holistic approach to our players’ health and prioritizing their overall well-being,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “T.J. Warren has worked incredibly hard over the past 14 months to get to this point – a full participant in on-court activity with his teammates – all while navigating the many challenges that accompany this type of injury. However, after thoughtful conversation with T.J. and his representatives, it has been determined that the most beneficial course of action at this point is to allow him to focus on the 2022-23 season. We will continue to provide T.J. with all the care, support, and resources necessary to ensure he returns to the high-level of play to which he’s accustomed.”
The Pacers are 24-47 this season. Warren played just four games in 2020-21 and hasn’t played at all in 2021-22. In 67 games played in 2019-20, he averaged 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Prior to that season, Warren played for the Phoenix Suns.
The Toronto Raptors have signed guard Armoni Brooks to a second 10-day contract.
Brooks, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, appeared in four games during his first 10-day contract with the Raptors. He logged 22 minutes March 12 at Denver, recording three points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. In 45 games (nine starts) with Houston and Toronto this season, Brooks is averaging 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 16.1 minutes.
A native of Waco, Texas, Brooks holds career averages of 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 19.1 minutes in 65 games (14 starts) with Houston and Toronto. He signed a two-way contract with the Rockets in April 2021 following two seasons in the G League with College Park (2019-20) and Rio Grande Valley (2020-21).
Brooks played three collegiate seasons at Houston (2016-19) where he was named All-AAC Second Team as a junior. He went undrafted in 2019.
Scoring guard Tyler Herro has done big things off the Miami Heat bench this season. Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
In a season of milestones for Tyler Herro, two more likely will come Friday night when the Miami Heat face the Oklahoma City Thunder at FTX Arena.
With his sixth point, he will become the third player in the Heat’s 34 years to score 1,000 bench points in a season. With his eighth point, he will tie Tyler Johnson (2016-17) for second place on the franchise’s all-time list for bench points in a season. And when he reaches 34 more points, he will match Dwyane Wade (2018-19) for the most bench points in a season by a Heat player. And all of that is with 12 games remaining…
With Tuesday night’s 17-point second period, Herro has scored in double figures in eight consecutive second quarters, dating to March 2 at Milwaukee. He has scored 120 points in those eight second quarters.
The Heat are 46-24 this season, which is the best record in the Eastern conference.
Their leading scorers in 2021-22 have been Jimmy Butler at 21.1 points per game, Herro at 21.0 ppg, Bam Adebayo at 19.0 ppg, and Kyle Lowry at 12.6 ppg.
Here’s the latest on injured Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, via the Charlotte Observer:
Injured and powerless to provide some veteran assistance, Gordon Hayward couldn’t do anything to halt the Charlotte Hornets’ season-ending slide a year ago.
Hayward never made it onto the floor, sidelined due to a foot injury suffered in early April. The Hornets were in a good position in the standings until Hayward went down, collapsing and tumbling to the final spot in the play-in tournament.
It has eerie similarities to how things have transpired this season since Hayward’s ankle got rolled up on by Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. on Feb. 7 . But there’s going to be a noticeable difference. A big one at that.
Hayward intends on being part of the Hornets’ run “hopefully sooner than later.”
With only one month left in the NBA regular season, the Hornets are 10th in the Eastern conference, which would place them in the league’s play-in tournament that could lead them to making the playoffs. So there is reason to hope that the team does have a healthy and effective Hayward back in action.