Irving works on his rehab
Hopes to return this season for Nets
Kyrie Irving will keep rehabilitating his right shoulder in hopes of rejoining the Brooklyn Nets this season, though acknowledged that he may need surgery.
Irving said he chose to get a cortisone shot late last month instead of having arthroscopic surgery, with the goal of playing for the first time since the middle of November. He said his shoulder problem began with overuse near the end of training camp and got worse early in the season.
He finally stopped playing after a Nov. 14 game in Denver and the Nets have said his injury is an impingement. Irving said he also had bursitis in the shoulder.
He said surgery would knock him out for at least a couple months, but he would prefer first to keep working toward playing this season, his first in Brooklyn.
“I want to go out and play,” Irving said, “so just continue to rehab and live the results of me going out there and giving it an actual shot, going out there, being with the guys, seeing where we can land and then move forward after the season.”
Wizards
Guard Isaiah Thomas was fined $25,000 for making inappropriate contact with a game official. Thomas received a technical foul Friday night and was ejected early in the Wizards’ 122-103 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Thomas was tied up along the sideline by Portland’s Carmelo Anthony. As Thomas broke away from Anthony, he made contact with referee Marat Kogut, who stumbled into the crowd.
Suns
Forward Frank Kaminsky III is out of the lineup indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his right knee. The team said the 26year-old will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Kaminsky hasn’t played in the team’s past three games. The 7-foot Kaminsky has averaged 11 points and 4.9 rebounds this season.
Grizzlies
Jae Crowder scored 27 points and visiting Memphis took advantage of Los Angeles star Paul George’s absence to rout the Clippers, 140-114. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 24 points to help Memphis improve to 7-10 on the road with its highest scoring game of the season. Montrezl Harrell led the Clippers with 28 points. The Clippers appeared out of sorts from the start without George. He sat out with left hamstring tightness and Los Angeles clearly missed his defense.