Wizards All-Star guard John Wall to have left knee surgery

By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday and could miss much of the rest of the regular season.

The Wizards announced Tuesday that Wall would have the operation in Cleveland and that a timeline for his return would be determined afterward.

A person with direct knowledge of the injury said Wall could miss six to eight weeks. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not release any estimate of the length of Wall's absence. Washington's last regular-season game is on April 11.

This is the latest knee problem for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Kentucky. He had surgery on both of his knees before last season.

In July, Wall agreed to a $170 million, four-year contract extension that starts with next season.

He was selected last week to participate in his fifth NBA All-Star game but now is expected to miss that event in Los Angeles next month.

Wall is second on the Wizards in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 points, and is second in the league with 9.3 assists per game. The timing of the surgery gives Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld a chance to find a new point guard before the NBA trading deadline, which is Feb. 8.

The Washington Post first reported that Wall would be having a procedure on his knee.

He sat out Washington's most recent game, at the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, because of a recurrence of soreness and swelling in his left knee. Earlier issues with the knee led him to sit out nine games in November and December, and he got platelet-rich plasma injections to try to cut down on the inflammation.

The Wizards entered Tuesday, when they were scheduled to host Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at night, tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 27-22 record.

Led by its backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal, a first-time All-Star pick this season, Washington lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals each of the past two years.

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin out indefinitely with MCL sprain

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has a sprained MCL in his left knee that will sideline him indefinitely.

Griffin injured his knee after falling awkwardly during a loose ball scrum late in Monday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. His recovery is expected to take up to two months.

Griffin's teammate, Austin Rivers, fell on top of Griffin's leg, causing it to bend awkwardly. Griffin immediately collapsed to the floor and held the injured leg, which forced him to exit the game with just under four minutes remaining.

The five-time All-Star was averaging 23.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest entering Monday night's contest, which the Clippers won 120-115. The team is already struggling with injuries to Danilo Gallinari (glute) and Patrick Beverley (knee).

Davis leaves Portland game with left knee injury

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Davis left the Pelicans’ game against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night with a left knee injury.

Davis left for the locker room midway through the first quarter. It appeared that he bumped knees with Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

Davis, in his sixth NBA season, had 27 points and 17 rebounds in New Orleans’ 119-112 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday. He had a basket and a rebound through the first 5 minutes against the Blazers.

Davis averaged a career-best 28 points and 11.8 rebounds last season with the Pelicans.

Suns lose G Knight to torn ACL

Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight sustained a torn ACL in his left knee that will require surgery, and he is expected to miss the entire 2017-18 season, the team announced Tuesday.

The injury occurred last week while Knight was playing in South Florida. Following an examination by head team physician Dr. Tom Carter, it was determined that surgery was necessary,

A timetable for his return will be determined at a later date.

Knight has played for three teams in his six-year NBA career. In 2016-17, while playing for the Suns, Knight averaged a career-low 11.0 points and 2.4 assists in 54 games, including five as a starter.

His career scoring average is 15.2 points.

Knight signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Suns in 2015. He is scheduled to make over $13 million next season.

Knight's injury may provide a larger role for Tyler Ulis and perhaps second-round pick Davon Reed.

Hornets PG Walker undergoes arthroscopic surgery on knee

CHARLOTTE, NC -- The Charlotte Hornets announced today that guard Kemba Walker underwent a successful minor arthroscopic procedure on his left knee.

Typical recovery time for Walker’s procedure is approximately six weeks.

Last May, Walker had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Hornets gave Walker a four-year, $48 million extension in October 2014.

In his sixth season in Charlotte, Walker appeared in 79 games averaging a career-high 23.2 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34.7 minutes per game.

Walker was named to 2017 Eastern Conference All-Star team, the first NBA All-Star appearance of his six-year career.

The University of Connecticut product has appeared in 443 career games (398 starts) for Charlotte averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.

Walker was selected by Charlotte with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Bulls G Valentine undergoes ankle surgery

(TSX / STATS) -- Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, according to multiple reports.

Valentine, who dealt with two separate ankle injuries in his rookie season, had the surgical procedure to "clean up" the area of the ankle, ESPN reported.

Valentine, 23, posted a picture on Instagram of him wearing a walking boot on Tuesday. After his rehab, he is expected to be ready to play for the Bulls in the Vegas Summer League in July.

The 6-foot-6, 212-pound Valentine, drafted with the No. 14 overall pick last year out of Michigan State, averaged 5.1 points in 57 regular-season games. He played a total of 22 minutes in Chicago's first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics.

Bulls guard Rajon Rondo out indefinitely with broken thumb

CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo is out indefinitely with a broken right thumb.

The team announced the injury on Friday, hours before the Bulls host the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. Chicago won the first two games in Boston.

Chicago says Rondo injured his right hand in Game 2 and x-rays confirmed a thumb fracture. Surgery is not required but the team says he is out indefinitely

Rondo had 11 points and 14 assists in Game 2 as Chicago put the top-seeded Celtics in an 0-2 hole.

Utah’s Gobert sprains left knee on 1st play of game

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Utah center Rudy Gobert sprained his left knee in the series opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on the first play of the game Saturday night.

Gobert banged knees with Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute. Gobert was setting a screen when Mbah a Moute ran by him in pursuit of Gordon Hayward. After the players made contact, Gobert fell to the court clutching his left leg.

A Jazz spokesman says Gobert has been taken from Staples Center to have an MRI for precautionary reasons.

The fourth-year player from France had to be helped off the court, leaning heavily on teammates George Hill and Boris Diaw as he made his way to the locker room.

The matchup between Gobert and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan was expected to be a key to the best-of-7 series.

Gobert averaged 14.0 points and 12.8 rebounds in the regular season.

Cavs' Kevin Love out 6 weeks after having left knee surgery

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without at least one Love this year on Valentine’s Day.

Cleveland’s All-Star forward Kevin Love will be out at least six weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The news was first broken by ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin and later confirmed by the team.

In his ninth NBA season, Love has averaged 20.0 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game thus far this season. Love experienced some swelling in his left knee following Cleveland’s game against Denver this weekend, and underwent an MRI before seeing another doctor.

While LeBron James has made clear that the Cavaliers were in need of another playmaker, the loss of Love will test Cleveland’s frontcourt depth. At 37-16, the Cavaliers are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference, although the Boston Celtics are just 2 games behind. If Love were to miss six weeks, he would return about two weeks before the playoffs begin.

Love’s absence will also presumably open up a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Some other worthy frontcourt candidates include New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Washington’s Otto Porter, Boston’s Al Horford and Atlanta’s Dwight Howard.

- NBA.com Staff Report

Trail Blazers reserve Evan Turner fractures right hand

Trail Blazers reserve Evan Turner will be out for an undetermined period of time after fracturing his right hand in Tuesday's 114-113 victory over the Mavericks. 

Turner was injured midway through the third quarter while defending Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes. Turner recovered a loose ball and fed teammate Al-Farouq Aminu for a transition basket before leaving the game for good several possessions later.

Turner told the Oregonian his hand will be evaluated on Wednesday.

"All I remember is I was just chasing Devin Harris over a screen," he said. "All I saw on film was just I ran into Harrison Barnes, I guess. I don't know if it was his elbow in my back or whatever. I didn't feel like crazy pain, like numbing a little bit. I just went back out there and I caught the ball when Dame (Lillard) passed it. I couldn't feel any type of grip or anything like that. That was pretty much it."

Turner, a seven-year veteran, had been averaging 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 49 appearances this season, his first with the Trail Blazers.

- NBA.com Staff

Nets PG Jeremy Lin re-aggrivates strained left hamstring

Brooklyn Nets PG Jeremy Lin re-aggravated his strained left hamstring during his rehab, and will be out for 3-5 weeks, the Nets announced on Monday.

"During the course of his rehab, Jeremy re-aggravated his strained left hamstring and will be out approximately three to five weeks as he continues to work towards a full recovery," Nets General Manager Sean Marks said in a statement. "We understand and appreciate Jeremy’s competitive desire to get back on the court with his teammates, however, we are going to be cautious with his rehab in order to ensure that he is at full strength once he returns.”

Lin is averaging 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 12 games played in 2016-17 with the Nets.

Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell slips, mildly sprains knee ligament

LOS ANGELES (AP) Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell mildly sprained a ligament in his right knee in the opening minutes of Los Angeles’ game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

Russell also strained his right calf muscle. He didn’t return to the game, and he will undergo an MRI exam on Saturday.

Russell was hurt while going around a screen set by teammate Julius Randle on Los Angeles’ second possession. The point guard’s left leg alarmingly stretched backward when he lost his footing, and he stayed down on the court for several moments.

He eventually walked on his own to the locker room, where the sprain and strain were diagnosed.

Russell is averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds during the second NBA season for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He has been playing for several weeks with a sore left knee, which kept him out for 12 games earlier in the season.

Jose Calderon played extensively in Russell’s absence.

Lakers guard Nick Young also went to the locker room late in the first half after hyperextending his left knee, but he returned for the third quarter.

Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis limited at practice

New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (sore left Achillies) was limited in practice on Saturday.

He is questionable for tomorrow's game against Toronto.

Porzingis said of playing tomorrow, "probably not", because he sat out of the contact portion of practice.

Porzingis is averaging 19.4 points-per-game, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 36 games played in 2016-17.

Raptors’ Patterson leaves game with knee injury

PHOENIX (AP) Toronto forward Patrick Patterson left the Raptors’ game against Phoenix in the first half Thursday with a strained left knee, and the team said he would not return.

Patterson played 8 + minutes and missed all three shots he attempted. He appeared to get hurt near the end of the first quarter when he was slow to get back to the foul line for free throws at the other end of the court, walking gingerly.

The 6-foot-9 forward played 33 minutes Wednesday night at Golden State. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Pelicans F Anthony Davis leaves game after injuring ankle

BEIJING (AP) New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has left Wednesday's preseason game against the Houston Rockets after hurting his right ankle.

Davis fell to the court early in the first quarter of Wednesday's game in Beijing, the last of the NBA's two exhibitions in China. He re-entered the game briefly, but soon walked to the locker room. The team said he would not return.

Davis, the first overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, is a two-time All-Star who averaged 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season.

Pelicans guard E'Twaun Moore also left the game in the first half with a right heel injury and was not expected to return.

via Associated Press

Cavs' Love out for Game 3 of NBA Finals with concussion

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers say forward Kevin Love won't play in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors because of a concussion.

Love, who was injured in Sunday's Game 2, took part in the team's shootaround Wednesday morning, a positive step toward his return to the floor. But the 27-year-old has not been cleared by doctors and will miss Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Love has been following the league's concussion protocol since he was diagnosed with the head injury, a result of him taking an elbow to the back of the head from Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.

According to the protocol, Love is required to gradually increase his physical activity and remain symptom free before he can be cleared.

Love is averaging 16.5 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds in 16 postseason games. He missed the finals last year after dislocating his left shoulder earlier in the playoffs and undergoing surgery.

Injury Notebook: Pelicans' Gordon re-aggrivates Broken finger; Wizards' Beal sprains pelvis

Gordon re-aggrivates broken finger: New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon again broke his right ring finger during Saturday night's game against the Utah Jazz.

Gordon left the game in the first half after a collision with Jazz center Rudy Gobert. He headed toward the locker room and did not return with the team when the second half began.

The Pelicans lost the game 106-94.

Beal sprains pelvis: Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal left a game Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers midway through the third quarter with a sprained pelvis.


Beal scored 12 points before taking a nasty fall on a layup attempt with 6:17 remaining in the period.