The NBA injury report heading into the weekend has Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Gerald Green, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Avery Bradley, Joakim Noah and Michael Carter-Williams banged up and some of those players will return from injuries. Irving still is not ready to return for the Cavaliers, while Kevin Durant will be out for at least a week with a hamstring issue.
Durant was injured against the Washington Wizards and he is expected to be out for 7-10 days with a hamstring injury. The injury is not a serious one, according to head coach Billy Donovan, but Durant will sit for the next week before being re-evaluated for Oklahoma City. The Thunder had to deal with Durant missing time last season with a foot injury and that limited the former MVP to just 27 games. Durant had an MRI and the team is not expecting Durant to be out much longer than the initial reports.
Bradley Beal was not in practice on Thursday or Friday and he comes into the game on Saturday as a game time decision for the Wizards. Beal has been dealing with a shoulder injury and he was out against the Thunder and is hoping to come back soon. Beal is averaging 22 points per game this season for the Wizards. Kobe Bryant is dealing with a back injury and he did not participate in the team shoot around on Friday. Bryant was targeting the game against the Mavericks to come back after missing matchups with the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in Florida.
Damian Lillard is dealing with a finger injury and he is probable for the game on Friday. Lillard had to have his thumbnail removed and Lillard said to the media that his finger is "just sore" and it looks like he should be able to play Friday. Anthony Davis is dealing with a hip injury and could continue to miss time, while Joakim Noah is expected back for the Bulls. Michael Carter-Williams was out for the Bucks against the Nuggets and he is now probable for Saturday.
Gerald Green was hospitalized earlier in the month following an off the court incident, but he has been released and should be back with the team next week. Green was suspended for an incident that happened at his condo after he allegedly punched a person and later had to be taken to the hospital. Green is suspended until the Nov. 17 game against Minnesota. Chris Pail is dealing with a groin injury and he could miss some time for the Clippers after sitting out Thursday.
Kyrie Irving is working his way back from knee surgery from over the summer and he does not have a set return date for the Cavaliers. According to ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst reports that Irving has been able to do some contact work, but is not yet close to coming back for the Cavs. The team likely wants to be cautious with Irving to ensure that he does not have any setbacks with the knee. The Cavs have been off to a strong start this season and that is one reason why the team is not looking to rush Irving back.
