2 min read • February 24, 2022
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James Harden will make his much-anticipated 76ers debut Friday against the Timberwolves in Minnesota, but he is not the only key player returning to the court this week.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will start on Thursday against the now-shorthanded Suns from a right ankle sprain that has kept him out of the last 10 games. The injury was only a minor sprain, but there was no reason for the tanking Thunder to rush their max player back. He should be ready to roll in Oklahoma City.
(This will not be the only ankle sprain mentioned today).
R.J. Barrett missed the last 4 games with a left ankle sprain, but practiced on Wednesday and is expected to play on Friday against the Heat. The Knicks dropped their last 3 games by single digits while being outscored 109-59 in the 4th quarter and overtime without their top isolation scorer.
Fellow New Yorker Derrick Rose was also a full participant at practice on Wednesday, setting up a potential return on Friday. Reports before the all-star stated the Knicks were optimistic Rose would be available exiting the break, in line with the 8-week timeline set after his right ankle scope and cleanup procedure in December.
The 32-year-old will step into the now-vacated Kemba Walker spot in the rotation. Walker and the 25-34 Knicks have decided that the 31-year-old point guard will sit out the rest of the year to prepare for next season. The rest will hopefully give his arthritic knees time to recover from an up-and-down year.
Fellow ankle sprain sufferer Lauri Markannen will return to the Cavaliers on Thursday against the Pistons. The 7-footer missed 11 games after the high ankle sprain on Jan. 22. Markannen has played in only 38 of the Cavs' 58 games this season with the ankle sprain and a bout with COVID-19 in November.
Cleveland is 23-15 with Markannen and 12-8 without him, a winning percentage differential of 0.0053%.
Celtics' defensive instigators Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are expected to play Thursday against division rival Brooklyn after missing 1 and 2 games, respectively.
Williams, meanwhile, missed the last 2 contests with right calf soreness, but the injury is not expected to hamper him going forward.
The Celtics are 18-7 since Dec. 31 and ran off a 9-game winning streak before the all-star break.
Landry Shamet will provide renewed guard depth for the Chris Paul-less Suns. Shamet hasn't played since Jan. 30 after suffering – you guessed it – a right ankle sprain.
Unfortanutely for Phoenix, backup point guard Cameron Payne is still a week or so away from the court, he said on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo show Tuesday morning. Payne has been out since Jan. 22 with a right wrist sprain.
While the Suns wait for Payne's pain to refrain, Elfrid Payton and newly-acquired Aaron Holiday will double-team the point guard post.
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