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Patrick Beverley left the Rockets' 110-100 win over the Pacers on Monday early with an apparent wrist injury. Yahoo Sports reports that Beverley's injury may be severe enough to require season-ending surgery:
Rockets guard Pat Beverly could have a season-ending wrist injury as a final analysis is expected in the morning, sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) March 25, 2015
Rockets expected to learn in the morning whether Patrick Beverly can play with his wrist injury or risk further ligament damage, source said
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) March 25, 2015
Beverley has damage to the ligaments in his wrist; the question is whether he can play through the injury without further damage. Doctors will announce the extent of the injury on Wednesday morning. It's easy to believe if Beverley was given a choice he would play through it. The best case scenario for the Rockets is a LaMarcus Aldridge situation. Aldridge tore the ligament in his thumb in late January, but he has delayed the surgery for the offseason.
Head coach Kevin McHale remarked about Beverley's injury:
"If the news is bad on Pat, he might be out awhile," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We will find out the news on Pat, but the initial thought was that it might be bad. Hopefully it will be good news."
The Rockets point guard is averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Unlisted in those traditional stats is Beverley's intensity on defense and his role as the Rockets' enforcer, both of which are irreplaceable on the current roster. Beverly has more than just playoff aspirations to play for, he is a free agent this offseason.
The Rockets will get their first taste of possible life after Beverley on Wednesday against the Pelicans. Expect Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni to get the lion's share of the time at point guard with rookie Nick Johnson sprinkled in. Terry is nursing a hamstring injury and may be limited himself.
Cross your fingers and hope for the best for Pat.