Perkins plays through hip issue : Thunder center Kendrick Perkins was able to play through a hip injury during Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday night. Perkins finished with four points and one rebound, making both of his field-goal attempts. He also added two blocks, while logging 17 minutes of game action. (Updated 05/15/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Perkins seemed to re-aggravate his hip injury late in the first half, but he was back on the bench for the second half. While he did not re-enter the game, the Thunder were able by 20-plus points at that point, so he wasn't needed. Perkins will be counted on the try and help slow down the Lakers' pair of 7-footers in this series, which will be key for the Thunder to advance. He can be considered a very low-end Fantasy option moving forward. (Updated 05/15/2012).
05/21/2012 16:50 Van Gundy, Otis out in shakeup, but where do Magic head from here?
The Magic overhaul begins as Stan Van Gundy is fired and GM Otis Smith departs. Questions about Dwight Howard's future remain, but Ken Berger says in the meantime good candidates abound for Orlando's job openings.
05/20/2012 01:14 Durant's 3-pointer seals comeback as Thunder beat Lakers, take 3-1 lead
Russell Westbrook scored 10 of his 37 points during a stirring fourth-quarter comeback, Kevin Durant added 31 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder seized control of the second-round series with a 103-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 on Saturday night.
05/20/2012 00:31 Durant, Westbrook lead Thunder to 3-1 lead over finger-pointing Lakers
LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Durant's straight-on 3-pointer with 13 seconds left helped the Oklahoma City Thunder climb all the way back from a 13-point deficit and beat the Lakers 103-100 Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in their conference semifinals series.
When Perkins went from Boston to Oklahoma City last season, it did not have the desired effect. The move did not put the Thunder over the top as they failed to advance to the NBA Finals. In fact, Perkins’ numbers tumbled after changing addresses and his entire season was mostly lost to a knee injury. He played in 12 games for the Celtics before being traded and averaged 7.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 54 percent from the field. After being traded, Perkins averaged just 5.1 points, 7.9 boards and shot 49 percent over 25 minutes per game. Perkins makes perfect sense as the tough center anchor for an exciting young offensive squad led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Still, he’ll have to show major improvement to get back to his 2009-10 level when he averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game over 28 minutes per night for the Celtics. Perkins himself was disappointed with his performance last year and has vowed to lose weight and be more focused entering the 2011-12 year. Perkins has said that the injuries lingered, even when he returned, and limited him to below his normal performance. He’s healthy entering this season and Fantasy owners know what a healthy and effective Perkins is capable of. Perkins will never be a top offensive option in Fantasy play, but he does the intangibles and is a worthy Fantasy center. Consider him just outside the top 25 center options and take him with a mid-to-late-round pick on Draft Day. (Updated 8/28/11)
