With just a few weeks left in the regular season, teams around the NBA are scrambling to put themselves in playoff position. For instance, in addition to the ten teams that would already be in the Western Conference playoffs, there are another three that are within four games of the 10th seed.
While most of the focus is on playoff positioning, let’s take a look at some of the other big news stories from around the league.
Curry Sidelined With Foot Injury
Golden State Warriors’ fans held their collective breaths Wednesday night as Stephen Curry left the game against Boston with a foot injury. In the game, Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball and landed on the back of Curry’s foot.
In the video from the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr was none too pleased and gave Smart an earful from the sidelines.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Curry suffered a sprain ligament in his left foot. Luckily, x-rays did come back negative, but he will still be out for the foreseeable future.
In fact, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, it appears that Curry could be out until the playoffs kick off in the middle of April.
This season, Curry is averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the Warriors.
Golden State currently has the second-best odds of winning the Western Conference at +320, and they are tied for the third-best odds of winning the NBA Championship at +650.
Jarrett Allen Attempting To Gut Through Injury
Despite suffering a fracture in his left middle finger, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen intends to forego surgery and hopes to return before the playoffs.
Allen has been on the shelf since March 6, when he suffered the injury in a game against the Toronto Raptors.
Still, the All-Star center has been phenomenal this season, and the Cavaliers would welcome him back sooner than later. This season, he has averaged 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game.
The Cavaliers currently sit 39-30, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. They are +3600 to win the East and +12000 to win the NBA Finals.
Collins Seeks Second Opinion, Wants To Return
Another playoff team dealing with injuries is the Atlanta Hawks. Their star power forward, John Collins, has been on the shelf with both a foot and finger injury. In fact, he has had to miss 10 of Atlanta’s last 14 games due to the injuries.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Sarah K. Spencer reports that Collins is going to get a second opinion on his injuries with the hope of returning this season.
At 34-35, the Hawks sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, good enough for a spot in the play-in games.
Bulls Could Be Getting A Major Asset Back
Like some of the other teams in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls have been ravaged with injuries this season. While they recently got Alex Caruso back, they are still without Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams.
On Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported some good news on the latter’s progress. It appears that Patrick Williams will be playing for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League team. The hope is that he can continue to get work there before rejoining the Bulls next week.
Williams has appeared in just five games this year. He had surgery on his left wrist after tearing ligaments in it early in the season.
In those five games, Williams was averaging 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 25 minutes of work. While the second-year forward is sure to be rusty, the Bulls hope to get Williams back in game shape heading into the postseason.
Chicago is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference at 41-28. They are +4800 to win the NBA title this year.
