Eric Koreen: Lowry will play and start.
Storyline: Kyle Lowry Injury
143 rumors in this storyline
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Eric Smith: No minute restriction for Lowry…according to Nurse. He says Lowry is starting but no word yet on the full starting 5.
Ryan Wolstat: Kyle Lowry says his thumb “is getting there” but didn’t heal as quickly as they thought it would. Says it’s day-to-day. Taking contact was new today. When he’s ready to play he’s ready.
Eric Koreen: Lowry practiced today and is questionable for tomorrow. Norm would come off bench in that case
Ryan Wolstat: No Ibaka and Lowry about a week away for #raptors
Josh Lewenberg: Ibaka didn’t practice today. He’ll travel with the team to Atlanta but is unlikely to play. He’s close but Nurse wants him to get a practice in before he returns. Lowry is about a week away from being game ready, Nurse estimates a Dec. 1 target date.
Kyle Goon: Nick Nurse says Kyle Lowry will probably take a few weeks to heal; Serge Ibaka has a sprain that’s severe enough for him to fly home from the road trip early.
Kyle Lowry suffered a small fracture in his left thumb and Serge Ibaka suffered a “pretty bad” sprained ankle, coach Nick Nurse said after Friday’s 122-104 win over the Pelicans. Lowry is set to see a hand specialist when the team travels to Los Angeles on Saturday.
“It felt weird from the rip,” Lowry said. “I kept playing through it and kept playing through it. Originally we thought it was something in the nailbed because the nailbed turned black and blue. We got some X-rays and we sent the X-rays off to the doctors and there was a small fracture in the thumb.”
Doug Smith: No Kyle Lowry sighting at the Raptors scrimmage; Nick Nurse told us yesterday Lowry had to go to NY to see a doctor Raptors leave Sat. for games in Tokyo. Lowry hasn’t had a single practice. Chance of him flying halfway around the world to watch pre-season games? Who knows
Kyle Lowry still awaiting clearance to practice
Josh Lewenberg: Raptors are also holding Kyle Lowry out of contact drills and scrimmages for now after undergoing surgery on his thumb over the summer. There’s no timetable for his return to full practice. They’ll ease him in.
Tim Reynolds: Expect De’Aaron Fox to get a big look from the powers that be at USA Basketball when camp opens tomorrow in Las Vegas. Also, Kyle Lowry is planning to meet his docs in the next few days and hopes to practice with USAB in Los Angeles next week. He wants to play World Cup.
The injury dates to Game 7 of the conference semis, and he’s has been playing with it heavily taped. Sources told me the injury, specifically, is a ligament, and Lowry has said publicly that whatever the injury is, it can’t be addressed until the offseason. When he isn’t playing, Lowry has his hands stuffed into a blue, oversized oven mitt for compression to help with circulation. He looks like Cookie Monster with that thing.
“It’s about passing. I’m a big passer,” Lowry said during an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump. “It’s about passing. I’m a big passer,” Lowry said during an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump. “You know, the flicking of the passing, the kind of — the ball movement, handling the ball. During the game, honestly, I can’t feel my thumb,” he said, alluding to the treatment he is receiving to numb the pain in his non-shooting hand.
“I’ll have to take care of it after the season but I don’t want to talk about it as much,” he said on The Jump as his Raptors prepare to face the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday in Toronto. “I haven’t complained about it, I won’t complain about it, I don’t care about it; I’m going to continue to do the things I need to do to make sure I can play at a high level. And that’s it.”
“Kyle’s hand is not great,” Nurse said. “You know, he’s — it’s hurt and it’s sore and it causes him a lot of pain. But he seems to be able to manage it through the game and do what he can do. “He’s obviously scoring and playing great on top of the other things he always does, and we’re really [seeing] a heck of a lot of toughness and again, the spirit that he just wants to be out there and help his team any way he can.”
“Kyle’s hand is not great,” Nurse said. “You know, he’s — it’s hurt and it’s sore and it causes him a lot of pain. But he seems to be able to manage it through the game and do what he can do.”
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry said he’s had some trouble gripping the ball because of his injured thumb, but insisted he’ll be fine. He was wearing what looked like an oven mitt to help with circulation. “I was learning how to cook so it comes in handy too.”
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry says his ankle is OK, but still sore. “It’s going to be a process but I’ll get there, hopefully. It’s not going to be 100% the whole season I can tell you that right now… It takes time. It’s a work in progress. This is a good first step for me.”
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry: “I just wanted to get out there. I could sit out until the playoffs with the type of injury I have but I want to play, keep a rhythm, get out there with the guys and play some basketball. If I can get out there and play I’m going to go play.”
Michael Grange: Lowry will play tonight vs. Hornets. First time Raps have post deadline group intact, I believe.
Eric Koreen: As of 1:30, Lowry is the only Raptors on the injury report, questionable with a sprained ankle. Leonard not listed. This would be his first time playing three games in five days since Dec. 30-Jan 3.
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game vs Charlotte, though Nurse had indicated he’s expected back sometime next week.
Ryan Wolstat: Lowry expected back “next week sometime” per Nick Nurse
Josh Lewenberg: Raptors rule Lowry OUT for tomorrow’s game vs OKC.
Kyle Lowry injury not serious?
Adrian Wojnarowski: Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is undergoing testing on right ankle injury that caused him to leave game, but belief is that it’s not serious, league sources tell ESPN.
Doug Smith: Raptors PR: Kyle Lowry, right ankle soreness, will not return. Duh
Doug Smith: Words matter Lowry now “probable” for tonight vs. Knicks as opposed to “questionable” earlier in the day
Doug Smith: Couple of injury report changes for the Raptors today in Detroit Kyle Lowry goes to “doubtful” from “questionable” Fred VanVleet goes to “probable” from “questionable” And, both, really, are day-to-day in the grand scheme of things, as we all are
Doug Smith: Raptors list Lowry and VanVleet as questionable for Sunday in Detroit but nary a word about “load management” going into the start of the back-to-back. It’s early, though
Tim Bontemps: Kyle Lowry won’t play tonight against the Lakers because of a sore ankle. Danny Green will. Jeremy Lin will start in Lowry’s place.
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry and Green are both listed as questionable for tonight’s game vs the Lakers with left ankle sprains. VanVleet is still out but Nurse hopes to have him back in the next week. Ibaka begins serving his 3-game suspension.
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry twisted his left ankle, per Raptors. He won’t return tonight, which probably goes without saying considering there’s 2 minutes left in a 20-point game.
Eric Smith: Kyle Lowry will not play today (back)
Eric Smith: Kyle Lowry working out with Raptors staff/cosches (& Alex McKechnie) before Toronto’s shootaround officially begins this morning. His status still TBA
Ryan Wolstat: Nurse said he still thinks Lowry’s getting closer to a return. Will get some shots up today and see how he’s feeling.
Tim Bontemps: “I think it’s now into a pain management stage a little bit,” Nurse said. He added Lowry was scheduled to get shots up pregame, and that the team will be monitoring him each day to see how he progresses.
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has received pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections for lower-back soreness, the team announced Tuesday. The four-time all-star has been dealing with back and hip ailments that have kept him out of seven of Toronto’s last eight games.
The Raptors said Lowry met with Dr. Patrick O’Leary at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York for the injections last Friday. Coach Nick Nurse was optimistic about Lowry’s improvement on Monday. “I think things are progressing really well,” Nurse said. “Shouldn’t be too long.”
Tim Bontemps: The Raptors announce Kyle Lowry had pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections in his back last week at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. pic.twitter.com/RKhm5vV5mP
Eric Koreen: Lowry will be out vs. Utah again.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse admitted he has been concerned that point guard Kyle Lowry has been sidelined for virtually all of the past two weeks with quad and back issues that have limited him to playing in just one of Toronto’s past eight games. “Yeah, I think a little bit,” Nurse said before the Raptors faced the Chicago Bulls here at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday evening. “You’re always concerned. You want an All-Star player back as soon as possible. “Any of our guys, we want them back as soon as possible … I think we’re positive and hopeful that it’s going in the right direction, and we’ll see him back soon.”
Eric Smith: Kyle Lowry (back) did not practice today on Orlando.
Tim Reynolds: Kyle Lowry downgraded to out.
Doug Smith: Raptors PR reports from Miami this morning that Lowry is doubtful for tonight vs. Heat, Ibaka is probable and Valanciunas is out.
Leonard and Lowry have only been in the lineup together for four of the 12 Raptors games this month, though the expectation ahead of a late Christmas practice was that both would be in to face the Heat on Boxing Day in Miami. Rotating starting centres Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas have also been banged up, with Valanciunas still out for a while due to his thumb injury, with only shooting guard and Pascal Siakam reliably good to go just about every night.
Tim Bontemps: Kyle Lowry and Danny Green are playing tonight.
Tim Bontemps: Nick Nurse admits he’s a little surprised Kyle Lowry is able to play today in his native Philadelphia, but that Lowry was “aggressively treated” this week and was deemed ready to go for tonight’s game.
Josh Lewenberg: For the second straight game, the Raptors will be without Lowry, Ibaka and Valanciunas tonight.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Kyle Lowry will miss Toronto’s game at Portland with thigh bruise — Kawhi Leonard will play, per Raptors.
Eric Koreen: I asked Lowry how his back was. “It’s great. I’m alive.” Funny, same way I woke up this morning. (This is not an official injury update.)
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry (back) went through shootaround today and will play tonight.
Ryan Wolstat: Kyle Lowry out. Sore back for Raptor
Ryan Wolstat: VanVleet starts for Lowry
Josh Lewenberg: Looks like Lowry will play tonight after all. He’s starting with the usuals (Green, Leonard, Siakam, Ibaka).
Eric Smith: OG Anunoby, CJ Miles, Norman Powell are out, according to Nick Nurse. Kyle Lowry is a game time decision.
Eric Koreen: Here was Nurse’s full explanation for why Lowry was in when he hurt his ankle pic.twitter.com/AXGsP9y2rA
Tim Bontemps: No Kyle Lowry tonight for the Raptors.
Joe Vardon: As expected, Kyle Lowry won’t play tonight for the Raptors
Adrian Wojnarowski: Toronto guard Kyle Lowry is day-to-day on a return from a bone bruise on his tailbone, league source tells ESPN.
Dave McMenamin: Kyle Lowry on if he’s going to play today: “Nope.”
Marc J. Spears: Raptors say All-Star guard Kyle Lowry (left ankle sprain) is out for tonight’s game versus Cavs. Center Lucas Nogueira will be active.
The Raptors are going to be without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry for Game 4 against the Cavs because of the same sprained left ankle that cost him Game 3. “I don’t think he’s going to go,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
Michael Grange: Lowry says he’s doubtful for G4, ankle sore, may have made it worse trying to get ready for G3.
January 20, 2020 | 12:46 pm UTC Update
Robert Covington not worried about trade rumors
So how is Covington dealing with the trade chatter? “I’m not even focused on that,” Covington said recently. “My main focus is this team and what I do every day. I’m not going to get caught up in rumors or hype or whatnot. I’m a Minnesota Timberwolf. That’s all my focus is.”
One player Saunders isn’t concerned with when it comes to handling speculation is Covington. “He’s a professional in terms of the way he approaches this game,” Saunders said. “His commitment to us and what we’re doing on a nightly basis has been a great example to our young guys especially. Cov is somebody I never worry about.”
Doug McDermott after the @Pacers ‘ win over the #Nuggets: “People don’t give us a lot of respect, and we like that. It’s just motivation for us. We feel like we’re one of the better teams in the East and we can play anyone, so we’re going to continue to play hard.” #Pacers
“Thankful, most of all,” Carter says of the treatment. “And I say that because I was an opponent for 22 years for most of these teams and obviously these are great organizations that are class acts and for them to do that is great. “I just enjoy playing the game regardless of being an opponent of these different organizations … regardless, it’s a brotherhood, it’s a small community and it makes for an emotional roller coaster.”
And he will hearken back to those glory days of the early 2000s and that special night in Oakland he got to witness in person. “I tell you what, I was thankful that I was able to be there and see those guys win. I remember sitting next to Tracy (McGrady) and thinking, ‘Do you believe what’s about to happen?’ There was like two minutes left, and it was like, ‘Dude, this is unreal.’
Bradley joined forces with James when he signed with the Lakers in July, but his appreciation for Boston has not wavered over the years. He still considers himself “a bit of a Bostonian” and remains close friends with people from the city, such as Dorchester-native and rapper Cousin Stizz.
“It’s different, but I prefer my people on the East Coast,” Bradley said. “Some people might be offended by that, but I mean, especially knowing I’m from the West Coast. I don’t know if it’s because it’s home for me or what, but I just feel like people are real good friends. That’s all it is. I could go years without talking to someone in Boston but [when] I see them, it’s a real friendship. People are honest, that’s the culture. East Coast, but specifically Boston. People are just good people.”
New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is officially listed as doubtful for Monday’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team announced the change in the injury report on Sunday evening, but don’t read too much into it. Williamson is still expected to make his NBA debut on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
Even if he does decide to play, he may make his signal behind the scenes in the coming weeks and let the world know when he arrives at training camp. For now, Wiggins is keeping his cards close to his chest. “I’m not sure [about the summer],” he said Saturday after recording his first career triple-double in a Timberwolves loss to the Toronto Raptors. “Right now my team is struggling a little bit [they were five games out of the 8th seed in the West as of Sunday] so we have to get back and try to get in a playoff run. That’s my main goal right now. And after that I’m going to decide on Canada Basketball.”
Rob Perez: huge assist here from Becky Hammond…she convinces Pop to challenge Jimmy Butler’s AND 1 continuation in tight game with one minute to play. Pop originally says no, then says yes. Spurs win challenge, points taken off board, and eventually win game.
January 20, 2020 | 1:29 am UTC Update
Scott Agness: Jeremy Lamb tested his bruised left hip and will play tonight in Denver, where the Pacers haven’t won since 2007. pic.twitter.com/aP9Ro5nkSD
Greg Logan: Garrett Temple & Joe Harris are off injury report for #Nets against 76ers, but Wilson Chandler is out: Chandler (left hamstring tightness) – OUT, Jordan (right middle finger dislocation) – OUT.
January 19, 2020 | 10:33 pm UTC Update
Paul Garcia: The Spurs defeat the Heat and improve to 18-23 this season, 12-10 at home, 7-12 against .500 and above teams, and 9-10 against the East. The Spurs have wins against the Top-4 teams out East now pic.twitter.com/rHBKJ1irYt
Fred Katz: Lots of status updates from Scott Brooks today about John Wall, who played “controlled” 4-on-4 with teammates for the first time. Brooks says he still doesn’t know if Wall will play this year. All the quotes and info below: pic.twitter.com/VVN0EBpsDo
Fred Katz: More Brooks on Wall: “That guy is as competitive as I’ve seen an NBA player be, and it was taken away from him. Think about it. It’s 40 games. Last year, 50 games. This year, 41 so far — maybe 82. That’s not easy.” The rest of this is good stuff from Brooks: pic.twitter.com/XhWHQvVwES
Chris Forsberg: Celtics list Jaylen and Kemba as questionable for Monday vs Lakers.
January 19, 2020 | 10:08 pm UTC Update
Serena Winters: Al Horford is questionable for #Sixers #Nets with a left hand sprain.
Sarah K. Spencer: Hawks injury report: Alex Len (low back pain) is doubtful. Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement) is out. Chandler Parsons (concussion/whiplash) is out.
January 19, 2020 | 9:19 pm UTC Update
And now here we are, with the Sixers charging headlong toward the playoffs, ready to make good on what head coach Brett Brown has proclaimed is a championship-caliber team. This is new territory for Brown, who was hired as coach seven years ago, just when the team embarked on an epic intentional collapse — dubbed “The Process” — in order to position itself near the head of the worst-goes-first line in the drafting of the best college players. The team set records for losing over four years, and Brown, all along, stood behind this method, often talking about his players as if helping them become men might be his real job. Was Nerlens Noel, a center the team drafted in the early days of the Process, engaged in timeouts? Was he helping teammates off the floor? How was he comporting himself on planes when the team went on the road? At the end of 2014, when Embiid was proving to be high-maintenance as he rehabbed a broken foot, Brown said this: “Joel Embiid has a good heart. At the end of the day, he has a good heart. I don’t throw that sentence out lightly. That needs to be the criteria of everybody in here.”
Meanwhile, Brown’s approach hasn’t changed. He talks up his best players, never criticizing them publicly. And to this point, it’s worked, obviously: Embiid and Simmons, 25 and 23 years old, are All Stars. But they still have a big piece of themselves to overcome, or to unlock. They still need to grow up. Which gives Brown, who started out in Philly with all the room in the world, a dilemma: Suddenly, he has very little time. Sixers owner Josh Harris has a history of listening to the noise of fans and media, plenty of whom think the team’s head coach should stop babying his two stars and force-feed their growth, given that they’re being paid tens of millions a year and we’re so close to that championship.
IT MIGHT SEEM, then, a bit strange that Brett Brown talks a lot about toughness as central to what he’s all about, though it’s not by accident. “Philly tough, Philly strong” was the banner phrase of an early-season team promo featuring the coach’s voice. Talking toughness is a part of getting his team to play in a certain style, but for Brown, it’s also been a natural way of connecting to the city, of molding a certain persona. “You become a spokesperson and mouthpiece of the owners and players,” Brown says. “I am quite calculated on what I want to talk about.” It helps his standing here, too.
But Brown, who’s 58, does come by toughness, in his own way, naturally. He grew up in seaside Maine towns where his father coached basketball. His father’s father made a living taking wealthy businessmen from New York and Boston and Montreal to fish or hunt moose and bear in Northern Maine. And his father — Brett’s great-grandfather — had a job as a railroad switchman, changing the tracks to direct trains either to Quebec or Montreal. “He had to shovel snow off the tracks and remove dead animals, too,” Brown says. “Which could be anything.”
Tania Ganguli: The Lakers are listing Anthony Davis as questionable for tomorrow’s game in Boston. Although Frank Vogel had indicated Davis might work out this morning before the team flew, the Lakers say that didn’t happen.
January 19, 2020 | 7:24 pm UTC Update
Tim Reynolds: Tyler Herro will play today, Heat announce.
January 19, 2020 | 6:26 pm UTC Update
Andy Larsen: Royce O’Neale signing now official. Statement quotes below. We’re also about to talk to Dennis Lindsey/Justin Zanik/David Morway at ZBBC. pic.twitter.com/dU55N4tHfu
Royce O’Neale: Jazzzzzzz Nation @Utah Jazz Let’s get it 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #Blessings pic.twitter.com/4ieoXYwqfR
Joe Ingles: Big money @Royce O’Neale!!! Dinner on youuuuuuuu!!! 💰💰💰 Congrats brother ❤️
The question is not if Stephen Curry is coming back this season, but when. And, from what I’ve been told, you might want to clear your schedule for March 1. The Warriors host the Washington Wizards that night. That’s not set in stone, of course. More like a target date. But expect a return by the face of the franchise before next season.
Curry already looks ready to play in his post-practice sessions. Judging by his shooting, his broken left hand looks healed. He is no longer wearing the brace. But he hasn’t played since Oct. 30. Saturday was his 40th game missed since the injury. By the All-Star break, Curry will have missed 51 games — the most he’s missed in a season since he missed 40 games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when he severely sprained his right ankle.
Last week, I passed along how the Pacers were informed that Domantas Sabonis could not hurt his left knee anymore but would have to play through pain in the meantime. Many were upset with that strategy and wanted to see Sabonis take it easy. We’ve seen other guys play through injuries, and it often leads to something else, sometimes something worse. So I went to Sabonis to get the full story. Many players hate discussing injuries; they’d rather talk about almost anything else. Sabonis, though, opened up and shared what he had learned.
“I’ve been told it’s a bone bruise, so there’s swelling in the bone that all doctors say it can’t get worse unless you get hit in that same spot,” he said. Sabonis was evaluated by the team doctor, and then his representatives also had him checked out by two additional specialists, which is normal. And all three doctors were in agreement: It’s simply a bone bruise and he’s not subject to additional risk by continuing to play on it.
“It’s the same thing if I get hit in my healthy knee,” Sabonis said, pointing to his right knee. “There’s the same chance. It’s not a muscle or anything, so by doing more stuff, you can’t technically get it worse.” Sabonis tried the rest thing. He strategically didn’t do much on it for three days. He didn’t practice before their game in Chicago on Jan. 10 and didn’t play in the game, and the team had the following day off. “Not even ice helps it,” he said. “You can’t really put anything on it. It just has to heal.”
January 19, 2020 | 5:27 pm UTC Update
Jazz extend Royce O'Neale
Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale has agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract extension, agents Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports told ESPN. O’Neale plans to sign the deal on Sunday, the agents said. Although he could’ve become a restricted free agent this summer, O’Neale and his reps negotiated a long-term deal that keeps him with the franchise that signed him out of Europe in 2017.
Tony Jones: The Utah Jazz and Royce O’Neale have agreed to a four year $36 million extension, league sources tell myself and @Shams Charania
Most notably, the Blazers are now in position to consummate a Hassan Whiteside trade that gets them all the way under. For example, a team needing a big could send Portland $22M in expiring contracts and take back Whiteside and one of Mario Hezonja or Gabriel; that would allow the Blazers to limbo under the tax line.
For what it’s worth, the Rockets weren’t depressed following the loss — not like Westbrook would ever let it get to that point. “Nobody put their head down in here,” Westbrook said. “If I see it, I’ll go grab it myself and put their head up. It’s no reason to put your head down. We’re all blessed to have an amazing job, to be able to support our families and to go out and play basketball — something that we all love to do. There’s no reason you should ever walk out of here with your head down. I’m obviously disappointed [with] the loss, but we got bigger things in life that’s bigger than a basketball game.”
When are you going to convince Kobe Bryant to give the league a shot? Ice Cube: I’ve asked him, and he said he was done. I believe him. I’m not going to harass the man; if he’s done, I don’t want him in the Big3. I only want you in the Big3 if you still got that chip on your shoulder; if you still want to play and show people that you’re the best.
