The NBA injury report has updates for players like Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, Deron Williams, Danilo Gallinari, Harrison Barnes, Alec Burks and Marcus Smart heading into this week. Bledsoe and Griffin are expected to be out for extended periods, while Lillard is dealing with a foot injury for the Blazers.
The Clippers will be without Blake Griffin for a couple weeks, as the star is dealing with a partially torn quad and will be sidelined, according to NBA.com. Griffin suffered the injury on Christmas and now will be out for a stretch and the team will "re-evaluate" him in two weeks, meaning he could potentially miss more time if the injury doesn't heal up quickly. The Clippers bench has struggled this season and losing Griffin for an extended period of time will be tough to overcome for Los Angeles.
The Suns have lost Eric Bledsoe to a torn left meniscus and according to the Arizona Republic, Bledsoe could be out for a stretch after having surgery. Yahoo Sports reports that Bledsoe could miss over a month after having surgery and that could keep him out until the All-Star break. The Suns have been inconsistent this season and losing Bledsoe is a big hit for the team. Bledsoe has had knee issues before and now he will have surgery again and the injury likely will give Brandon Knight more minutes along with Devin Booker.
Damian Lillard is dealing with a foot issue for the Blazers and he did not play on Sunday and could be out for another few days for Portland. Lillard is dealing with plantar fasciitis and has missed four straight games, but he could be back for the team on Wednesday. The Blazers play back to back games on Wednesday and Thursday so if Lillard comes back, he likely will only play in one of those games.
Bradley Beal has been dealing with a leg injury and has been out for a couple weeks, but according to the Washington Post, Beal is making progress from the injury. The Post reports that Beal has started "non-basketball work" and that puts him on track to starting non-contact work soon. Beal has been out since early December and he may not be able to return for the Wizards until January. Beal has no set return date yet from the injury.
Kristaps Porzingis suffered a finger injury against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, but the x-rays were negative for the Knicks rookie, according to the team website. Porzingis played against the Celtics on Sunday and suffered a thigh injury after getting kneed, but the injury is not considered serious. Porzingis said his finger injury has not been bothering him and that he should be fine after getting banged up in back to back games.
Some more injury updates from the NBA:
Deron Williams is dealing with a hamstring issue and may not play for the Mavericks on Monday. Harrison Barnes remains out for the Warriors with an ankle injury, while Gallinari is also dealing with an ankle injury for the Nuggets. Burks suffered a fractured fibula injury and does not have a set timetable to return.
