Injury Notes: Green, Herro, Lakers, Knicks

The Suns are rolling, going 11-5 in their last 16 contests, including two wins over the Knicks in just over a week. They’re currently fighting for sixth seed positioning with the Lakers and boast a 25-17 record, despite missing their key acquisition last summer in Jalen Green.

“We miss Jalen,” Booker said after the second win against the Knicks on Saturday, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I think Jalen, he’s another person out there that’ll have rim presence for us and draw a lot of fouls. [Collin Gillespie], he’s really punctual. He’s going to get to his middy. Grayson (Allen) has some rim pressure, but we’re all getting excited for Jalen.”

Grayson Allen echoed the sentiment and is similarly excited for how Green could fit into the offense.

“Just another guy who can create his own shot, create advantages for other people,” Allen said. “Make tough shots. Draw two defenders. He’s a big-time scorer. So he’ll help a lot.”

The time of waiting may be at an end. Rankin tweeted that Green is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Nets. While his return isn’t guaranteed, coach Jordan Ott spoke in optimistic terms after the team’s shootaround on Saturday.

“Everything seemed to be good,” Ott said of Green’s third stint of five-on-five work. “So, we’ll see. Still going in the right direction.”

Booker seemed to believe that there was a chance Green could have returned earlier, and that the Suns were being cautious with his recovery.

“He’s been licking his chops getting ready for this moment,” Booker said. “I think we’ve overdone it with keeping him out. He’s going to be healthy and strong and ready to go.”

We have more injury notes from around the NBA:

• Tyler Herro didn’t travel with the Heat for their five-game road trip after suffering a rib contusion that caused him to miss Saturday’s game against the Thunder, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). While initial reports indicated that the injury was on the more minor side, he is now set to get an MRI, per Winderman (Twitter link), and it’s unclear how many more games he’ll be held out for. Herro’s injury-ravaged season continues, as Winderman notes that he has missed 31 of the first 42 games for Miami.
• LeBron James and Luka Doncic are questionable for the Lakers in tonight’s matchup against the Raptors, Marc Stein writes (via Twitter). Doncic is dealing with left groin soreness, while James continues to fight through left foot joint arthritis and sciatica. The Lakers are still missing their third star, Austin Reaves, due to the calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas.
• The Knicks are in a tailspin, having lost eight of their last 10 games, and they’ll have to make do without two of their leaders against the beat-up Mavericks on Monday. Stefan Bondy notes (via Twitter) that Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are both listed as questionable for the game. Brunson, the team’s captain and offensive hub, is dealing with a right ankle sprain, while Josh Hart, who in many ways represents the team’s emotional leader, has right ankle soreness. While the Mavericks are still missing a majority of the top end of their roster, including P.J. Washington (personal reasons), Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain), and D’Angelo Russell (illness), they got a bit of good news, as star rookie Cooper Flagg was upgraded to questionable as he looks to return from a left ankle sprain, per Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis (Twitter link).