The NBA has been plagued by injuries for the majority of the past two years.
Stars and impact players have been knocked out for extended time, and in most cases, full seasons. With Miami and Indiana looking to be the only legitimate contenders in the East, the conference needs every bit of talent to be healthy that they can get.
Tonight, another team will hold their breath as an impact player awaits the results of an MRI.
Wiz holding their breath until they get an MRI Monday on Nene, who left Cavs’ game Sunday with what was called a sprained left knee.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) February 24, 2014
Nene isn’t quite a star, but he is an impact player of a Wizards team that is trying to make the playoffs for the first time in quite awhile. The Wizards pulled even at 28-28 after a 96-83 win in Cleveland Sunday night.
Nene, coming off one of his best games as a Wizard, scoring a career-high 30 points including a game winning dunk with under a second to play, left the game late in the third quarter.
He had eight points, four rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes of action.
The initial diagnosis is a sprained knee, but Nene will undergo an MRI tomorrow.
The Wizards currently sit as the 5-seed in the east with a 1.5 game lead on the Bobcats, Nets and Hawks. They trail the Bulls by 1.5 games for the 4-seed.
Washington will know which way they are more likely to go after Nene’s MRI results come back on Monday.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.