NBA Injury Updates and Info for Friday

https://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/456045.html

Assistant coach Ron Rothstein will be filling in for coach Pat Riley, who is the midst of a three-day trip to scout college players at conference tournaments.

Rothstein said he is uncertain whether forward Udonis Haslem (ankle) and center Earl Barron (knee) would be ready Friday.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-clippers13mar13,1,5876761.story

The Clippers got 22 points from Corey Maggette and 17 apiece from Cuttino Mobley and Al Thornton, but were hampered by the absence of center Chris Kaman. He missed his second game in a row because of a sore back.

https://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/2008/03/13/hawks_0314.html

Woodson is hoping to get another good defensive effort against the Clippers, who are coming off a 110-88 loss to Orlando on Wednesday. They have dropped nine of their last 11 games.

The Clippers may be without center Chris Kaman, who's missed the past two games with a sore back. The team's players have missed a league-high 221 games this season because of injuries.

https://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695261526,00.html

The Jazz have not all forgotten that it was Boston, way back on Dec. 29 of last year, that handed them their last loss at EnergySolutions Arena.

"I thought we had that game won," All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer said. "Then Paul Pierce took over a little bit."

Since that 104-98 defeat, Utah has reeled off 18 straight victories on its home floor — one shy of tying the Jazz's franchise record.

The Spurs will play 18 games this month, a franchise record. That workload has thrown a monkey wrench into Popovich's plans for ironing out a rotation.

He has had to play more players than he'd like, just to keep everyone fresh.

"You'd much rather have this schedule in February, so you'd have March and April to get things set," Popovich said. "But it is what it is, and we'll have to deal with it. At least maybe we could try and get our starting lineup set, and figure it out from there."

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili says he can feel the weight of March already — in his aching legs, his sore back and his bruised hip.

"I'm feeling it in my body," Ginobili said.

Ginobili's answer for this March madness? Just hold out until April.

"We've got to do as good as we can, and wait until March is over," he said.

Reserve forward Ime Udoka returned to San Antonio on Thursday morning to be treated for an injured right ankle.

Udoka will not play in the remaining two games of the Spurs' road trip, though he is expected to be available when the team returns home to face Boston on Monday.

https://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080314/SPORTS03/803140390/1051

The recent lethargy was most pronounced Wednesday, when the Pistons faced a gritty Sixers team and failed to fight back. But since they lost to Boston last week, their intensity and focus have wavered, perhaps suggesting they're no longer excited about the remaining regular season.

"I don't think we're looking ahead," small forward Tayshaun Prince said. "We've just got to find a way to continue to play on an even keel. ... Being at this point in the season, we really have to respond and not let these type of games happen."

The Pistons are likely locked into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference, so they don't have the urgency of a team fighting for playoff positioning. That's why playing a string of Western Conference teams -- starting tonight with San Antonio and continuing next week with New Orleans and Denver -- should be battery-charging.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep14mar14,1,6187150.story

The record of the four teams the Lakers play over the next seven days is an imposing 172-86 (.667).

The Lakers have been only so-so the last couple of weeks, the latest evidence a 117-108 victory over Toronto, which went without All-Star forward Chris Bosh but still became the fifth team in six games to pass the 100-point mark against them.

There are whispers that the Lakers, short-handed since Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza went down within a week of each other in January, are fatigued.

https://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1205472296150640.xml&coll=1

"The last time the Lakers were here, they set the tone, and they really took us out of the game," West said. "We have to make sure that we are continuously attacking. We can't be on our heels."

In that Jan. 9 game, the Lakers executed the way the Hornets did Wednesday night. The Lakers built an early lead and cruised to a 109-80 victory.

"We've had some success in the past with (Hornets center) Tyson (Chandler) guarding (Gasol), but it's going to be a tough matchup, no doubt about that. He has proven that he can score against anybody."

Scott said the Hornets plan to mix up their defenses, doubling in the backcourt occasionally when Bryant has the ball.

"Sometimes we have to play them loose to be ready for their counters and other things they like to do," Scott said. "We can't sit and just play in the half court. They may be the best-executing half-court team in the league, so we have to make them uncomfortable, and we've got to push the tempo."

Pushing the tempo is what MVP candidate Chris Paul has done this season, including Wednesday night when he scored 26 points and had 17 assists. Paul shredded the Lakers in the teams' first meeting. Paul had a season-high 21 assists and 19 points in leading the Hornets to a 118-104 victory at the Staples Center in November.

https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20080314_Sixers_Notes___Sixers_Notes__Miller_feeling_better.html

Andre Miller, who left the 76ers' 83-82 win on Wednesday at Detroit with 6 minutes, 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter because of a back and abdominal injury, was feeling better yesterday, team officials said.

Miller didn't attend yesterday's film session and light shooting workout. Instead, he was accompanied by Sixers athletic trainer Kevin Johnson for a session with the Chicago Blackhawks' chiropractor, John Zrelak.

"My gut is he will play, but we don't want him to go out there to the point of messing himself up," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We will see how he feels."

Willie Green, who didn't make the two-game road trip because of a lower back injury, is expected to play tomorrow, a team official said.

https://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-080313-thabo-sefolosha-bulls,1,2772266.story

Thabo Sefolosha practiced Thursday and declared himself available for Friday's game with the 76ers.

Interim coach Jim Boylan said Sefolosha moved well but is still experiencing soreness.

In his next breath, Boylan detailed why Sefolosha's presence is so important for the stretch run.

"He gets his hands on a lot of balls defensively, and his rebounding is key for us," Boylan said. "It puts another guy out there who aggressively works the defensive boards.

https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5618508.html

Rockets forward Carl Landry tested his injured right knee in a workout Wednesday, but with some swelling still in the knee Thursday, he's doubtful to play tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats.

https://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/345941

Jamario Moon went over on his ankle late in the game against Golden State, but claims he is okay. He'll have to have all his mobility to handle the multi-faceted Denver small forward.

https://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/13/nuggets-report-prada-by-day-adidas-by-night/

Coaches outnumbered healthy players Thursday.

Allen Iverson (broken finger, sore right knee), Linas Kleiza (bruised left foot), Eduardo Najera (leg) and Marcus Camby (hip) were among the players requiring treatment.

All are expected to play Friday night against the Toronto Raptors, though Karl said he is a "little bit" concerned about how Iverson's finger will affect his play down the stretch.

https://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/16662196.html

He is the basketball version of the Nuclear Football, the doomsday briefcase that accompanies the president everywhere. He is the fire extinguisher encased in glass. He is the Pale Panacea, the solution to all that ails the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He is Mark Madsen, the Good Sport of Last Resort, and he must be called upon like a superhero from the Fortress of Solitude. Only he can save them now.

On their last road trip, the Wolves kept Madsen on the bench, and paid for it. They slipped on the banana peels that are the Kings and the Clippers, accidentally and regrettably winning two games in a row.

Returning home to crickets chirping in Target Center helped the Wolves regain their equilibrium, and they got back to the task at hand on Tuesday, throwing away a game against Portland.

Madsen established his bona fides two seasons ago on April 19, 2006. The Wolves were determined to lose the season finale to Memphis. They flashed their Mad Dog Light against the night sky, assigned a surgeon to remove the towel from Madsen's right palm and watched him provide a Herculean effort (Hercules couldn't shoot either).

Madsen went 1-for-15 from the field, including seven missed three-pointers. He and the Wolves made a farce of pro basketball that night but achieved their objective, getting beaten by the Jordanesque Brian Cardenal, who noted dryly: "We were fortunate. Mark Madsen wasn't 'on' tonight.''

https://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/16662251.html

Seattle is 3-0 vs. Minnesota this season and has won the past six meetings both overall and the past six in Seattle. The Sonics are first in the league in rebounding, and the Wolves are 18th.