The NBA injury report heading into the weekend includes names like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Kobe Bryant, Michael Carter-Williams, Ricky Rubio, Joakim Noah, Andrew Wiggins, Tyreke Evans and Jabari Parker. DeMarcus Cousins has returned from an injury for the Kings, while Durant is expected to miss at least a week with a hamstring issue.
The Thunder will be without Kevin Durant for at least a week after the forward suffered a hamstring injury against the Washington Wizards. According to ESPN.com, Durant suffered the injury in the second quarter against the Wizards on Tuesday and after leaving the game he did not return. Ken Berger at CBS Sports reports that Durant will miss between 7-to-10 days with the injury and will be re-evaluated after that. Durant missed most of the season last year with a foot injury, playing in just 27 games for the Thunder.
ESPN reports that Durant had an MRI on Wednesday and that confirmed the news that he has a hamstring strain. Durant is averaging 28 points and seven rebounds per game this season in eight games played. The Thunder hope that the injury does not linger and that Durant can return in a week or so. Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter could see extended minutes coming up.
Kobe Bryant is dealing with a back injury for the Lakers and he sat out both games of a back to back this week. Bryant did not play against the Miami Heat and he was out against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Bryant was out and that left Metta World Peace to start and the Lakers hope that Bryant can return for the next stretch of games coming up. Bryant has struggled this season offensively, averaging 16 points and shooting 32 percent from the floor.
Anthony Davis was out for the Pelicans on Wednesday and he is dealing with a hip injury suffered against the Mavericks on Tuesday. The x-rays came back negative for Davis and that means he likely will not be out for too long. Davis is the best player for the struggling Pelicans and the team will likely not try to rush him back so that he doesn't suffer a setback. Davis is averaging 24 points and nine rebounds this season.
Michael Carter-Williams was out again for the Bucks and he did not play against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Carter-Williams has only played in four games for the Bucks this season. Joakim Noah is dealing with a left knee issue and he did not practice on Wednesday, but he is expected to participate on Thursday. The injury is not considered serious.
Some players that returned recently from injuries include DeMarcus Cousins, Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, Terrance Jones and JR Smith. Smith helped the Cavaliers get a win over the Jazz this week, while Cousins put up strong numbers in his return for the Kings, although the team is in some disarray right now. Tyreke Evans is still dealing with an injury and he doesn't have a set timetable to return for the Pelicans. Andrew Wiggins is probable to play Thursday after being out Wednesday for the Wolves, while Ricky Rubio is expected to return after dealing with a hamstring issue.
