Kevin Garnett out for a Week?

Kevin Garnett (thigh) went through a full shootaround on Wednesday, but the Celtics may opt to hold him out of games on Wednesday and Saturday. The Boston Celtics are reporting that Garnett’s current trouble is related to his bruised thigh, which got kicked in Monday’s game against the Warriors.

The good news is that this sounds precautionary and the Celtics see an opportunity to get Garnett a week of rest with only two games scheduled in the next seven days. In the long run we remain concerned about KG holding up, especially considering his injury plagued 2009 season, but it looks like the thigh isn’t a major issue.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Chris Douglas-Roberts (ankle) has been cleared to return to action on Wednesday. CDR tweeted earlier that he’d be back in action, but it’s good to see the official news coming from a New Jersey Nets beat reporter. It should be safe to activate him in daily leagues, though it’s possible he’ll be rusty in his first game since Dec. 19.

Los Angeles: Lakers G Kobe Bryant’s offensive tear continued on Tuesday, as he scored a season-high 44 points (13-of-27 FGs, 16-of-16 FTs) against the Warriors. He added four rebounds and 11 assists, with just one turnover. Kobe came into this game 0.1 ppg behind Carmelo Anthony for the league lead in scoring, and will be #1 after this gem. This was the 103rd game in his career that he’s scored at least 40 points.

Los Angeles: As expected, Ron Artest did not play in Tuesday’s game vs. the Warriors. He is hoping to return against Sacramento on Friday. “He’ll get a workout in [Wednesday],” said Phil Jackson. “The big danger is obviously elevating heart rate and blood pressure in this type of situation, so that’s going to be something that we monitor.” When Artest returns to the lineup, expect reduced minutes.

Washington: The Wizards allowed the Thunder to score 110 points on 54% shooting, coach Flip Saunders hinted that a lineup change could be imminent. “Spots will be open. If guys don’t like it, that’s fine,” said Saunders. “Guys want to come out of the zone [defense] and play man-to-man, but they can’t guard anybody. The Wizards have been on of the biggest disappointment thus far in 2010.

New Orleans: David West scored a career-high 44 points vs. the Houston  Rockets on Tuesday — he made 18-of-30 FGs, 2-of-4 three-pointers, and 6-of-8 FTs. West even pitched in 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, but New Orleans couldn’t pull out the victory and dropped to 13-16 on the season.