Stephen Curry will not play on Wednesday due to a sprained left ankle. He was fine at shootaround today, but it acted up on him when he returned to the arena. C.J. Watson is probably in for big minutes and production tonight with this news. Curry will likey finish second in rookie of the year voting to Evans.
Thaddeus Young has a fractured right thumb and is out indefinitely. So much for Thadd just having a cracked thumbnail. His thumb will be placed in a removable cast and he’s been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The only good news is that the injury is to Young’s non-shooting hand, but there is no timetable for his return. This means Lou Williams’ spot in the starting five should be safe going forward.
Deron Williams aggravated his shoulder during Sunday’s loss to the Thunder, and briefly left the game, but returned and finished with 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including a three) with two rebounds, 14 assists, and a steal.
Derrick Rose will have an MRI on Friday to evaluate his left wrist that he sprained in Thursday’s game against the Magic. “Derrick has a sprained wrist,” coach Vinny Del Negro said.
Terrence Williams came off the bench for 18 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of work on Thursday. With Yi Jianian (ankle) out 7-10 days and Chris Douglas-Roberts (ankle) also sidelined, Williams is going to get consistent minutes. The rookie is averaging 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists over his last six games.
The streaking Bucks defeated the Celtics on Tuesday behind a huge game from Andrew Bogut, who posted 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with 17 rebounds, two assists, one steal and four blocks. Bogut has finally figured out how to play well consistently, and the Bucks are reaping the rewards. They are 9-1 in the past 10 games, fueled by Bogut’s surge and the seamless addition of John Salmons.
LeBron James has been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Spurs. He’s not really injured, although his ankles are a bit dinged up. This is simply for some rest, and we do expect him to play Friday against the Sixers. NBA TV is not going to be happy with this news, as they’re showing the game tonight.
LeBron James hit 16-of-27 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 40 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in Friday’s win. He didn’t have a triple-double tonight, but this is still one of his best lines of the year. The Cavaliers’ fantasy playoff schedule isn’t great, but LeBron is still the top fantasy player in the league, and should remain so in the playoffs. LeBron said after the game that he tweaked his right ankle, but “hoped” to play tomorrow in Milwaukee.
Michael Finley will sign with the Celtics in the next couple of days, a source tells Yahoo’s Marc Spears. The Celtics are stocking up on scoring off the bench, but Finley isn’t a real answer. He’ll eventually take some minutes away from Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels. Finley was waived by the Spurs on Monday after complaining about his role and is expected to report to the Celts on Saturday.
Mike Conley had a season-high 26 points, seven assists, five steals and three rebounds as the Grizzlies knocked off the Hornets. Conley has found his stroke and is suddenly playing with extreme confidence on the offensive end. Over his last four games, he’s averaging 17.5 points on 60 percent shooting. Consider this a simple hot streak as we don’t think Conley’s offensive game has turned the corner yet.