Portland's CJ McCollum sidelined by knee injury
Monday 18 March 2019 06:33, UK
Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum avoided a more serious knee injury but will miss at least one week with a popliteus strain in his left knee.
Team president of basketball operations Neil Olshey has confirmed the MRI results and says McCollum will be re-evaluated in a week.
McCollum crashed to the court after a drive to the basket in the third quarter of Saturday's 108-103 loss at San Antonio. After writhing in pain and clutching his knee, he was helped off the court.
The popliteus is a small muscle that runs diagonally across the back of the knee joint.
After Saturday's game, McCollum said: "I went up for a layup, a left-hand layup, and big fella (former Blazer Jakob Poeltl) blocked it.
"I landed on my foot, kind of trapped my foot on the ground, felt my knee kind of twist. I was in pain, it hurts.
"You never want to get hurt, man. Not ever, especially at this point in the season. There's nothing I can do about it but rehab and see what they say.
"I can walk, but I'm not sure what the extent of it is."
McCollum has played in 68 of Portland's 69 games this season and has missed just six games in the past four seasons.
He is averaging 21.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and ranks second on the team with 165 made 3-pointers.
