John Hefferon MD
2 min read • January 20, 2023
Posted in
Former Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell both exited their respective Monday games with groin strains. Gobert popped up on the injury report prior to the game with a groin injury and lasted just 5 minutes before apparently reaggravating the injury. He was ruled out with a right groin strain and missed Thursday’s contest. He’s considered day-to-day but is unlikely to feature in either end of the home-and-home contests against the Rockets this upcoming Saturday and Monday.
Mitchell suffered a left groin strain midway through the third quarter against the Pelicans and did not return to the game. He missed Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies and is unlikely to play in the next two home games: Friday against the Warriors and Saturday against the Bucks.
Former Rockets big man Christian Wood reportedly suffered a broken left thumb in the second quarter of Wednesday’s contest against the Hawks and will miss at least a week. He played 22 minutes in the second half against Atlanta, but was clearly bothered by the thumb on dunks and while catching hard passes.
The location of the fracture and extent of possible ligament damage will determine how quickly he can return. A phalanx or avulsion fracture would likely be the best case scenario. Kings’ center Domantas Sabonis suffered an avulsion fracture on his non-shooting hand in late December, but missed just one game.
Wood is averaging 18.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 42 games with Dallas this season.
The youngest Ball bro suffered his third ankle sprain in as many months on Wednesday night and is out for Saturday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks. All ankle sprains have been on the left side, which actually helps Ball’s recovery.
There is residual laxity among his ankle ligaments, meaning this latest sprain likely didn’t cause much new damage, according to the Pro Basketball Docs.
He was able to participate in non-contact drills on Friday, a good sign he won’t miss double digit games like he did the previous two times.
After the ankle sprain on Oct. 11 he missed 13 games. After the ankle sprain on Nov. 16 he missed 11 games.
When the 21-year-old does return, it may be with a Zamst ankle brace (similar to those worn by Trae Young and Steph Curry) to limit future injuries to that ankle.
He has also been playing through left wrist soreness after also injuring it on Wednesday, but the ankle is the bigger concern going forward.
On Wednesday, three time All-Star Bradley Beal returned from the right hamstring strain that kept him out the previous 5 contests. Beal had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes against the Knicks, his first action since early January.
Beal has played in 25 of the team’s 45 games this season after injuries to both hamstrings, a quadriceps contusion and a bout with COVID-19.
He’s averaging 22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 52.8% shooting from the field and 34.6% from 3 for the 12th place Wizards.
The man with a wingspan longer than his last name is reportedly targeting a return Saturday against the Cavaliers after missing the last four contests with left knee soreness.
Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable for the matchup against Cleveland and is likely to suit up for the #2 vs. #5 Eastern Conference matchup, according to the Pro Basketball Docs.
Our staff and panel of doctors did a deep dive on the 28-year-old’s left knee troubles, which you can read here.
The two-time MVP has played in 35 of 44 games this season, missing the rest of the contests with left knee soreness.
Despite those missed games, he’s averaging a career-high in points (31) to go along with 11.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game on 52.4% shooting.
Written by John Hefferon MD
