Draymond Green has MRI exam on injured knee, status unclear
October 18, 2017
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Warriors forward Draymond Green underwent an MRI exam on his strained left knee and his status for an upcoming road trip is unclear.
Golden State expected to release results of the test Wednesday or early Thursday prior to departing for a game Friday at New Orleans.
Green got hurt in the closing seconds of the third quarter of Tuesday's season-opening 122-121 home loss to Houston when he drove left to the basket, took an off-balanced shot and landed awkwardly. He came up hobbling and grabbing at his knee.
Golden State missed his presence down the stretch and Green finished just shy of a triple-double with nine points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
''I don't think it's serious but we'll see,'' coach Steve Kerr said after Wednesday's practice, in which Green didn't participate.
Omri Casspi's Warriors debut was cut short after he sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter. He had come into the game questionable with a mild sprain of his right ankle. Casspi did some shooting but didn't practice.
''He just slipped on the floor,'' Kerr said. ''We'll see if he's OK. It was a tough break, he's sprained both ankles in the last week.''
Andre Iguodala, meanwhile, practiced Wednesday after missing the opener with a strained back.
Kerr remains hopeful he will play on the road trip that includes the team's first back-to-back with Friday's matchup against the Pelicans followed by a game Saturday at Memphis.
Golden State plays Monday at Dallas before returning home for three games next week.
The Warriors are being extra cautious at this stage with Iguodala, who is such a valuable contributor off the bench.
Kerr has said his team still must get in better shape - mentally and physically - and that led to foul trouble throughout the game. Kevin Durant's baseline jumper at the end went in just too late and Golden State squandered a big lead on the night it received its championship rings.
The Warriors only spent about 30 minutes practicing on the court Wednesday with the focus on skill work, instead using more time to study film.
''We were not ready mentally to play that game, even when we weren't tired,'' Kerr said. ''When I say we're not in great shape, I can't come in here today and run them because they're tired from last night. So the physical conditioning will come as we play these games in the next week or two but what we can do is really lock in mentally.''
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Emotional Celtics drop first 2 games after Hayward's injury
October 19, 2017
BOSTON (AP) Celtics fans lined up to sign a banner urging Gordon Hayward to ''come back stronger than ever.'' One player wrote his injured teammate's initials on his shoe. The crowd that bought tickets to see him make his Boston debut chanted his name.
A few miles away, Hayward was being wheeled into surgery to repair the ankle he mangled in the season opener.
Hayward's agent said the surgery Wednesday night ''went really well.''
Mark Bartelstein said Thursday that doctors ''got everything sort of fixed and put back in the right place. So that's great. There's no doubt we'll get him back to be better than he was before.
''There's no doubt in my mind about that.''
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the situation is difficult for him personally, but Hayward will have lots of support.
''Having known him as long as I've known him, it's tough to see him go through this,'' said Stevens, who was also Hayward's college coach at Butler. ''We'll make sure he knows that we've got our arms around him.''
After signing a four-year, $128-million free agent contract to come to Boston from the Utah Jazz, his only professional team, Hayward's Celtics career was less than six minutes old when an awkward landing in Cleveland on Tuesday night left him with a broken left tibia and dislocated ankle.
Bartelstein didn't have details on a timeframe for Hayward's recovery.
''It will be awhile,'' Bartelstein said. ''I think it's very unlikely he'll play this season. But we're not even thinking about a timeframe right now.''
Players on both teams reacted in horror to Hayward's gruesomely bent leg. Stevens said he couldn't watch the replay. The Celtics, who trailed the Cavaliers by 16 at halftime, lost when Kyrie Irving missed the potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Unable to attend the home opener against Milwaukee a night later, Hayward recorded a video message from his hospital bed before heading into surgery, telling Boston fans: ''It's hurting me that I can't be there.''
In the 30-second message, which was also sent out by the team on Twitter, Hayward thanked the fans for all the messages of support.
''I'm going to be all right,'' Hayward said. ''It's hurting me that I can't be there for the home opener. I want nothing more than to be with my teammates and walk out on that floor tonight. But I'll be supporting you guys from here, and wishing you the best of luck.''
Boston fell to 0-2 when Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, adding 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-100 victory. Irving scored 17 points for Boston on 7-for-25 shooting, and Jaylen Brown scored 18.
Stevens said it's going to take them a little more time to figure this all out.
''I'm hopeful that we can find the right combinations,'' he said. ''We obviously didn't anticipate going maybe this far into the bench this early.''
Hayward was expected to make a full recovery, but Stevens did not know if he would be able to return this season.
''It's definitely been tough,'' said rookie forward Jayson Tatum. ''We're just keeping Gordon in our prayers, hoping everything is all right.''
Hayward's acquisition was part of a near-complete roster overhaul for the team that finished first in the East last season before losing to the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
The team also traded fan favorite Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland for Irving and shipped out regular starters Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. In all, just four players on the roster finished last season with the team.
''As you saw in the Cleveland game, they fought back,'' Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova said. ''They're not going to quit.''
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Nets' Lin expected to miss season with right knee injury
October 19, 2017
NEW YORK (AP) Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee.
Lin was hurt midway through the fourth quarter of the Nets' 140-131 loss at Indiana on Wednesday in their opener. He landed hard behind the baseline after a drive to the basket and was in tears as he clutched at his knee.
The former Harvard guard was hoping for a stronger second season with the Nets. He was limited to just 36 games in 2016-17 while Brooklyn finished with the NBA's worst record.
General manager Sean Marks says Thursday in a statement that Lin worked hard during the offseason.
Marks says its ''awful that the injury will cost him the season'' and the organization ''will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery.''
October 18, 2017
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Warriors forward Draymond Green underwent an MRI exam on his strained left knee and his status for an upcoming road trip is unclear.
Golden State expected to release results of the test Wednesday or early Thursday prior to departing for a game Friday at New Orleans.
Green got hurt in the closing seconds of the third quarter of Tuesday's season-opening 122-121 home loss to Houston when he drove left to the basket, took an off-balanced shot and landed awkwardly. He came up hobbling and grabbing at his knee.
Golden State missed his presence down the stretch and Green finished just shy of a triple-double with nine points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
''I don't think it's serious but we'll see,'' coach Steve Kerr said after Wednesday's practice, in which Green didn't participate.
Omri Casspi's Warriors debut was cut short after he sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter. He had come into the game questionable with a mild sprain of his right ankle. Casspi did some shooting but didn't practice.
''He just slipped on the floor,'' Kerr said. ''We'll see if he's OK. It was a tough break, he's sprained both ankles in the last week.''
Andre Iguodala, meanwhile, practiced Wednesday after missing the opener with a strained back.
Kerr remains hopeful he will play on the road trip that includes the team's first back-to-back with Friday's matchup against the Pelicans followed by a game Saturday at Memphis.
Golden State plays Monday at Dallas before returning home for three games next week.
The Warriors are being extra cautious at this stage with Iguodala, who is such a valuable contributor off the bench.
Kerr has said his team still must get in better shape - mentally and physically - and that led to foul trouble throughout the game. Kevin Durant's baseline jumper at the end went in just too late and Golden State squandered a big lead on the night it received its championship rings.
The Warriors only spent about 30 minutes practicing on the court Wednesday with the focus on skill work, instead using more time to study film.
''We were not ready mentally to play that game, even when we weren't tired,'' Kerr said. ''When I say we're not in great shape, I can't come in here today and run them because they're tired from last night. So the physical conditioning will come as we play these games in the next week or two but what we can do is really lock in mentally.''
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Emotional Celtics drop first 2 games after Hayward's injury
October 19, 2017
BOSTON (AP) Celtics fans lined up to sign a banner urging Gordon Hayward to ''come back stronger than ever.'' One player wrote his injured teammate's initials on his shoe. The crowd that bought tickets to see him make his Boston debut chanted his name.
A few miles away, Hayward was being wheeled into surgery to repair the ankle he mangled in the season opener.
Hayward's agent said the surgery Wednesday night ''went really well.''
Mark Bartelstein said Thursday that doctors ''got everything sort of fixed and put back in the right place. So that's great. There's no doubt we'll get him back to be better than he was before.
''There's no doubt in my mind about that.''
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the situation is difficult for him personally, but Hayward will have lots of support.
''Having known him as long as I've known him, it's tough to see him go through this,'' said Stevens, who was also Hayward's college coach at Butler. ''We'll make sure he knows that we've got our arms around him.''
After signing a four-year, $128-million free agent contract to come to Boston from the Utah Jazz, his only professional team, Hayward's Celtics career was less than six minutes old when an awkward landing in Cleveland on Tuesday night left him with a broken left tibia and dislocated ankle.
Bartelstein didn't have details on a timeframe for Hayward's recovery.
''It will be awhile,'' Bartelstein said. ''I think it's very unlikely he'll play this season. But we're not even thinking about a timeframe right now.''
Players on both teams reacted in horror to Hayward's gruesomely bent leg. Stevens said he couldn't watch the replay. The Celtics, who trailed the Cavaliers by 16 at halftime, lost when Kyrie Irving missed the potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Unable to attend the home opener against Milwaukee a night later, Hayward recorded a video message from his hospital bed before heading into surgery, telling Boston fans: ''It's hurting me that I can't be there.''
In the 30-second message, which was also sent out by the team on Twitter, Hayward thanked the fans for all the messages of support.
''I'm going to be all right,'' Hayward said. ''It's hurting me that I can't be there for the home opener. I want nothing more than to be with my teammates and walk out on that floor tonight. But I'll be supporting you guys from here, and wishing you the best of luck.''
Boston fell to 0-2 when Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, adding 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-100 victory. Irving scored 17 points for Boston on 7-for-25 shooting, and Jaylen Brown scored 18.
Stevens said it's going to take them a little more time to figure this all out.
''I'm hopeful that we can find the right combinations,'' he said. ''We obviously didn't anticipate going maybe this far into the bench this early.''
Hayward was expected to make a full recovery, but Stevens did not know if he would be able to return this season.
''It's definitely been tough,'' said rookie forward Jayson Tatum. ''We're just keeping Gordon in our prayers, hoping everything is all right.''
Hayward's acquisition was part of a near-complete roster overhaul for the team that finished first in the East last season before losing to the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
The team also traded fan favorite Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland for Irving and shipped out regular starters Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. In all, just four players on the roster finished last season with the team.
''As you saw in the Cleveland game, they fought back,'' Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova said. ''They're not going to quit.''
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Nets' Lin expected to miss season with right knee injury
October 19, 2017
NEW YORK (AP) Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee.
Lin was hurt midway through the fourth quarter of the Nets' 140-131 loss at Indiana on Wednesday in their opener. He landed hard behind the baseline after a drive to the basket and was in tears as he clutched at his knee.
The former Harvard guard was hoping for a stronger second season with the Nets. He was limited to just 36 games in 2016-17 while Brooklyn finished with the NBA's worst record.
General manager Sean Marks says Thursday in a statement that Lin worked hard during the offseason.
Marks says its ''awful that the injury will cost him the season'' and the organization ''will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery.''
