The NBA injury report has players like Klay Thompson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Marcus Smart, Harrison Barnes, Tyson Chandler, Kobe Bryant, Mike Dunleavy, Jonas Valanciunas and Al Jefferson banged up heading into the middle of December.
Thompson injured his ankle for the Warriors against the Pacers and he is listed as questionable for the next game against the Celtics. Bryant is dealing with an illness and sat out of the shoot around Wednesday for the Lakers, while Chandler is dealing with a hamstring issue and is questionable to play on Wednesday. Valanciunas is going to be out for an extended stretch while he rehabs a hand injury, while Hollis-Jefferson underwent surgery and could miss a couple months for the Nets.
The Warriors remain undefeated at 23-0 this season and the team has been relatively lucky with injuries and they hope that continues with Thompson. Thompson rolled his ankle towards the end of the game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday and he was taken to the locker room for testing. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the x-rays on the injury were negative and Thompson said that it isn't a "bad sprain" and that he will be "back in a couple days." Thompson is questionable for Friday against the Celtics, but he likely will play.
The Brooklyn Nets will be without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for at least two months after the rookie underwent foot surgery for an ankle injury. According to Marc Spears at Yahoo, Jefferson will be out for "8-10 weeks" and doctors report that there was "no structural damage" and that Jefferson is expected to make a full recovery. Jefferson has been one of the lone bright spots for the Nets and now he will be sidelined for an extended period. Jefferson had surgery to "repair the fractured posterior talus in his right ankle," according to NBA.com.
Kobe Bryant sat out of shoot around on Wednesday for the Lakers ahead of the game against the Timberwolves, but Mark Medina reports that he will likely play against Minnesota. Bryant has sat out of workouts multiple times this season and the illness he is dealing with is not considered serious.
Marcus Smart remains sidelined for the Celtics with a lower left leg injury and he does not yet have a set timetable to return. According to ESPN Boston, team president Danny Ainge said that Smart does not need surgery, but he is still at least a "few weeks" away from coming back. Ainge said that the team doesn't "know a timetable" for his return, but that he "needs time to get healthy" and will not need a surgical procedure for the injury.
The Warriors received good news about Thompson, but Harrison Barnes will be out for the rest of the road trip for the team, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Barnes is dealing with an ankle injury and he likely will be out until the middle of December. The Warriors remain undefeated and with Thompson's injury not serious, the team is not too worried about Barnes, as he will be able to return once the team gets back to California.
Quick hits for the rest of the players: Tyson Chandler was out against the Bulls on Monday and is questionable for the next game for the Suns. Mike Dunleavy may need a month or more after having a setback related to his back injury. Valanciunas is expected to miss about a month more while rehabbing from a hand injury.
