NBA Update: Shaquille O’Neal to miss second straight game; Stephen Curry out indefinitely
It is a bad day for Boston Celtics as they visit Charlotte Bobcats at the Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday. Celtics will be missing their centre giant, Shaquille O’Neal for the second straight game.
O’Neal missed the game on Thursday when the Celtics visited Philadelphia 76ers. Giant’s absence from the game had quite an impact on the team as it only managed a last minute win. Winning by a margin of one point, Celtics were able to keep their winning
streak going defeating the Sixers 102-101.
O’Neal missed the game on account of a sore right calf. Still cautious about their star player, Coach Doc Rivers announced that O’Neal would sit out Saturday’s game as well. Although, O’Neal was willing to play after taking pain medications, he eventually
honoured the coach’s wish. Following the benching, O’Neal said, “I’ll take these next couple days off and try to get it right. After all Rivers does a great job managing old, antique cars.”
O’Neal’s benching puts a lot of pressure on the Celtics especially in the centre since they were already missing a few players. Kendrick Perkin is out till February recovering from knee surgery while Jermaine O’Neal is still sidelined on account of a sore
left knee. Starting in O’Neal’s place against the Bobcats will probably be Semih Erden. Erden also filled in O’Neal’s place against the Sixers.
As Celtics’ star is absent from play, other teams in the league are also missing a few key players.
Golden State Warriors missed their key guard, Stephen Curry last night as they took on Miami Heat. A lead scorer for the Warriors, Curry got hurt while the Warriors played San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Having sprained his ankle in the second quarter, Curry
had to be helped off the court by team mates. Curry had sprained the same ankle in three games earlier in the season eventually missing two straight games.
Talking about Curry’s injury, Warrior’s Coach Keith Smart said, "He's going to be out for a little bit. We're re-evaluating him day by day to see how the ankle is responding to the rest and treatment. You've got to be a little bit concerned because now he's
rolling it without stepping on someone. It's fatiguing out a little bit. It's kind of shutting down."
Curry however, is not as concerned as his coach and hopes the rest will help him heal soon. For the time being however, Curry is out indefinitely and will most likely miss the Warrior’s next game as the team visits Utah Jazz on Monday.
Los Angeles Clippers’ centre Chris Kaman will also miss play for the next three weeks because of an aggravated bone bruise and sprain in his left ankle. Kaman hurt his ankle last weekend, when the Clippers met Portland Trail Blazers last Sunday.
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