Shaquille O’Neal left Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter after taking a hard foul, has suffered a “significant right thumb sprain” according to TNT’s David Aldridge, and will not return to the game. Shaq’s short-term future doesn’t look bright, and Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson are worth a look if Shaq is out. Varejao has better size for the position, and projects to be a more consistent option than Hickson, who will provide more upside and scoring possibilities. Both will struggle with foul trouble.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Paul Pierce’s thumb is not healthy enough to sustain contact during a game, and that he could miss “a couple of games of for sure.” “We just want to get him to the stage where if someone hits it he can sustain the hit, and right now if someone hit it it would go right back to where it was at,” said Rivers.

Oakland: C.J. Watson will miss Thursday’s game due to the flu and a possible appendicitis according to team officials. The Golden State Warriors are decimated by injuries, which means that Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are strong candidates to play close to a full game, and Anthony Morrow and Anthony Tolliver will get more touches.

Utah: Andrei Kirilenko made it through Thursday’s practice and is expected to play Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento: With Jason Thompson out for up to two weeks with a back injury, Kings beat writer Ailene Voisin reported that Spencer Hawes worked with the first team during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was made available to the media. His status for Friday’s game against the Jazz is still unknown, although beat writer Sam Amick said he would be surprised if he didn’t suit up.

Sacramento: Jason Thompson will miss up to two weeks with two non-displaced transverse processes fractures in his lower back, which were confirmed by X-rays taken Thursday.

Chicago: Joakim Noah missed Thursday’s practice due to a prescheduled doctor’s appointment about his plantar fasciitis.” No worries,” Noah said. “I’m just trying to get back as much as I can and help this team. I’m hurting, obviously, but it’s the end of the season right now and I want to be there for my team and I want to be as ready as possible come playoff time.”

Warriors G Monta Ellis hit 17-of-23 shots and a career-high four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 46 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Ellis is hot again, despite a sore right wrist. He had a steal, a block and some circus shots, but also committed seven turnovers. With nearly no defense being played in Oakland, Ellis could have another big game on any night.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Oklahoma City: Thunder G Russell Westbrook hit 11-of-18 shots for 26 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and a block in Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Westbrook has nearly double-doubled in each of his last two games and appears to be out of his recent slump. Kevin Durant chipped in with another 30-point performance, which should put him in the lead for the scoring race, but also committed a season-high eight TOs on the night.

Charlotte: Bobcats F Gerald Wallace said in a television interview during Wednesday’s game that he simply “tweaked his hammy” and expects to return to action on Saturday.

Toranto: Raptors F Hedo Turkoglu is expected to return to action on Sunday against the Kings, according to the post-game recap. Turkoglu is being fitted with a mask and should be back on the court this weekend.

Boston: Paul Pierce will not play on Wednesday and is not likely to play on Friday either, according to Doc Rivers. This should not come as a surprise and it’s entirely possible that he could rest until the All-Star break with his sprained left foot.

Boston: Rajon Rondo had 22 points, six rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and two 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat. He’s on fire and is proving to be one of the most valuable point guards around.

Sacramento: Kings’ forward Jason Thompson will miss his next two games to a attend a funeral on the East Coast. That means he’s out Wednesday and Friday, but is supposed to rejoin the team for Sunday’s game at Toronto. Maybe this will give him time to clear his head and get back in the mix for Paul Westphal. In the meantime, look for solid play from Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman.

Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge torched the Jazz for 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s loss. Aldridge has been stepping up with Brandon Roy (hamstring) out. He has 20+ points in four of his last five games and even has five blocks during that span.

Utah: Mehmet Okur went off for 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in Wednesday’s win over the Blazers. After three straight subpar showings, the Turkish Tornado put up a season-high even though he made just one 3-pointer. It should be a big confidence booster for Okur going forward.

Monta Ellis set a season-high in scoring for the second straight night on Wednesday, scoring 42-points on 16-of-25 shooting with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. The 42 points also tied a career-high for Ellis. Just a day after playing all 48 minutes, Ellis went for 44 minutes tonight and there’s no reason to think he won’t keep it up with the Warriors so short-handed. Is Ellis still on the trading block?

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Brook Lopez had 32 points, 14 rebounds, a steal and two blocks on 13-of-25 shooting as the New Jersey Nets lost by 10 to the Blazers to run their record to 0-15. They’re two losses from starting out 0-17 to match the 1988-89 Heat for the worst start in NBA history.

New Jersey: Devin Harris hit just 2-of-6 shots for six points, three assists and two steals as the Nets lost again on Wednesday. He’s clearly not at 100 percent but is at least playing through his groin injury.

Indiana: Pacers beat reporter Mike Wells reports that Danny Granger will not play on Wednesday due to a sprained left MCL.

Portland: Blazers C Greg Oden had 18 points, eight boards, a steal and four more blocks in Wednesday’s win over the Nets. Oden is having a good year and is starting to pay dividends as the No. 1 overall pick. If the Portland Trail Blazers are going to advance in the playoffs, he will need to play well and stay healthy.

Houston: Rockets F/C Carl Landry hit 9-of-11 shots and had a team-high 24 points to go along with six boards in Wednesday’s loss. Landry is quietly having a good year.

Dallas Mavericks: Jason Terry hit 10-of-11 shots and all four of his 3-point attempts on his way to 27 points and a season-high 10 assists on Wednesday. Look for Terry to win the fifth man of the year award.

Dallas: Jason Kidd had nine points and seven assists to pass Mark Jackson for No. 2 on the all-time assists list with 10,337. He still has a long way to go to catch John Stockton at 15,806, but this is quite a milestone for Kidd

Dallas: Shawn Marion had 12 points, three boards and one assist in 31 minutes after missing a few games with an ankle injury. He’ll be better on most nights, but the time off with the injury obviously negatively impacted him tonight.