The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that forward Tyrus Thomas is expected to miss approximately two months after an MRI revealed a second-degree strain of his left calf muscle and a tear of the plantaris muscle, a smaller muscle that assists the calf in plantar flexing the ankle.

No surgery will be needed for the injury, which Thomas suffered during Saturday night’s game against Memphis.

In eight games played this season, Thomas is averaging 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 17.8 minutes per game.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today on his right knee. The surgery was performed by Timberwolves team orthopaedic surgeon Dr. David Fischer at the TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, Minn.  Roy is expected to be out approximately one month.

“Brandon had been experiencing some right knee pain, dating back to Oct. 26, when he banged knees with a Milwaukee Bucks player in a preseason game,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn. “The pain became more pronounced on Nov. 9 during our game against Indiana. We fully support Brandon’s decision to have today’s arthroscopic procedure, and look forward to his return when he feels ready to play.”

Roy has played in five games this season, averaging 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Roy was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Wolves on July 31, 2012.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving received an MRI and CT Scan of his contused left index finger (3rd quarter of Saturday night’s game at The Q vs. Dallas) today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.  The results of the MRI and CT Scan revealed a hairline/non-displaced fracture in the finger. The injury will be treated with taping and a splint. He is currently projected to be Out for the next four weeks while the fracture heals, and is scheduled to be re-evaluated in two weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate at that point.

Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson has a contused right elbow experienced in Saturday’s game at The Q vs. Dallas. He continued to play and be available for play during that game. He traveled with the team to Philadelphia, and continued to receive treatment immediately prior to the Sunday game vs. the Sixers and during the first quarter in the locker room. He returned to the bench for the remainder of the game, but did not play. Gibson underwent an x-ray and MRI today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, both of which were negative. He is cleared to play.

Cavaliers forward/center Tristan Thompson experienced a nasal contusion during the second quarter of the game in Philadelphia last night.  An x-ray at the Cleveland Clinic today revealed a nasal fracture. He will have a protective mask fitted and is projected to be ready to play in Wednesday’s game at The Q also vs. the Sixers.

Memphis forward Zach Randolph has been fined $25,000 for confronting Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins in the lockerroom area following their ejections with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies at Thunder game on Nov. 14, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant were today named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 18.

In guiding the Heat to a 3-1 week, James averaged a league-best 29.0, while adding 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.25 blocks. James’ week included a personal season-high 38 points Nov. 12 at Houston in which he scored 32 in the second half while leading the Heat to a come-from-behind 113-110 victory. The 32 second-half points tied the franchise record for points in any half.

Durant helped the Thunder to a 3-1 week by averaging a point/rebound double-double, which included a Western Conference-best 28.0 ppg and a team-high 10.3 rpg. Durant added 5.8 apg, 1.75 spg and 1.75 bpg. He capped off his week by posting his first career triple-double – 25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists – in the Thunder’s 119-109 win over the Golden State Warriors Sunday.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Kyle Korver, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Detroit’s Greg Monroe, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings, New York’s Raymond Felton, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Portland’s Nicolas Batum, and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon.

In their first game after Mike D’Antoni got to town, the Lakers reached the 100-point plateau with 9:26 still left in the contest Friday night against Phoenix.

In the follow-up Sunday night, the Lakers got there with 11:16 to play in their 119-108 victory over the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.

Just imagine all the garish point totals and lopsided victories once D’Antoni actually coaches a game. Or Steve Nash’s leg heals.

Lakers fans certainly can start thinking about how good this will get with their team at 5-5 after starting 1-4 under Mike Brown.

D’Antoni decided about three hours before tipoff Sunday to give his reconstructed right knee more time to heal before his Lakers debut, probably Tuesday night against Brooklyn.

– Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register

The Kings suffered their fifth consecutive loss, 99-90, to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at Sleep Train Arena.

After a two-game winning streak, the Kings have fallen to 2-8. The last time the Kings had a record that bad through 10 games was in the 1990-91 season.

The new starting lineup consisted of Aaron Brooks and Tyreke Evans at guard, John Salmons and Jason Thompson at forward, and DeMarcus Cousins at center.

It was the fourth different starting lineup the Kings have used this season, but the first time coach Keith Smart changed it because of performance instead of suspensions.

Brooks replaced Isaiah Thomas, and Salmons replaced James Johnson.

– Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

In the closing seconds of a game the Trail Blazers were guaranteed to win, a rookie made a rookie mistake by sprinting down the court and dunking instead of cradling the ball and waiting for the final horn to sound.

The Chicago Bulls didn’t like it.

After Damian Lillard iced the Blazers’ 102-94 victory over the Bulls with a dunk with 1.9 seconds left, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson bee-lined toward the rookie point guard at center court to express their displeasure.

LaMarcus Aldridge and other Blazers prevented a post-game incident by intervening, but Lillard’s late-game display caused quite a commotion Sunday night at the Rose Garden.

“I just told him he can’t do that,” Gibson said.

– Reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian

Randolph , 31, rightfully points out that he’s just re-establishing his worth as the bang-for-buck big man the league revered before a knee injury cost him most of last season.

“This feels good because I worked hard this summer and when people last year said, ‘Is he going to be the same Zach of old?’ I heard that,” Randolph said. “I just wanted to come out and prove people wrong. I still got it and I’m still in my prime.”

If you didn’t think it was possible for Randolph to be more relentless then consider this: He leads the NBA in rebounding with a career-high 13.9 per game and is second in the league behind Denver’s Kenneth Faried with 5.4 offensive rebounds per game.

“He’s got a strong upper body. He hits you first to get you off balance,” Griz center Marc Gasol said of Randolph. “And then he has great hands.”

– Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Dwight Howard had just come off a 28-point, 13-rebound, three-block detonation against the Rockets Sunday. And he announced that A) he and Kobe Bryant — who had a triple double — still are not on the same page and B) he still is only at 75 to 80 percent health following back surgery.

Good luck, Nets.

“They have a great point guard and a pretty good team, so we just have to play hard,” Howard, leading with Deron Williams, said of the Nets who visit Staples Center here Tuesday night.

And then Howard turned his attention to Brook Lopez.

“He’s tough. He knows how to score,” Howard, who has averaged 17.1 points and 12.9 rebounds in 28 career games against the Nets, said of Lopez. “They look for him a lot in the offense, they have a lot of great plays.”

– Reported by Fred Kerber of the New York Post

The Nets got a much-needed boost when Gerald Wallace finally returned to the lineup in last night’s 99-90 win over the Kings.

Wallace, who finished with four points, a rebound and three assists in 24:30, started and played for the first time since spraining his left ankle in the final minute of the Nets’ season-opening win over the Raptors at Barclays Center on Nov. 3, and made it through the game without incident.

“I’m good,” Wallace said. “I’m ready to go, but whatever he wants me to do, I’m down with it. We’re early in the season, so obviously they want to be cautious with it, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow from this game and go from there.”

Coach Avery Johnson said the plan going into the game was to get Wallace into the game for four six-minute bursts, to try to get him to about 24 minutes, and Johnson was happy with how things went.

– Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

The much-anticipated return of Brandon Roy to the Rose Garden will not happen this week after the Minnesota guard and former Trail Blazers legend has scheduled a right knee surgery for this week, The Oregonian has learned.

The arthroscopy will be the seventh of his career, dating back to high school, and the fifth since he has been a professional. It is unknown how long Roy will be sidelined.

A three-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year for the Blazers, Roy left Portland in December of 2011 when he medically retired because of arthritic and degenerative knees. The Blazers later used the league’s Amnesty Clause to waive Roy,  a move that allowed Roy to be paid the remaining $63 million of his contract, while exempting him from their salary cap.

Roy signed a two-year contract with Minnesota in July that pays him $5.4 million this season, with the second year non-guaranteed depending on how many criteria he meets this season, such as games played.

– Reported by Jason Quick of The Oregonian

After just two practices and two games together, Kobe Bryant already can see Mike D’Antoni’s ideas and schemes improving the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although a triple-double isn’t usually part of Bryant’s game plan, he happily picked it up along with another win for a team that has been revitalized before their new coach has even taken the court.

Bryant had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 18th career triple-double, and the Lakers ran past the Houston Rockets 119-108 Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games since firing coach Mike Brown.

Dwight Howard had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Pau Gasol scored his 15,000th career point among his 17 as the Lakers returned to .500 by running away from their second straight opponent since D’Antoni took over their practices. Although D’Antoni and his surgically replaced knee haven’t even appeared on Los Angeles’ bench yet, his new team is already playing with passion and fluidity it hadn’t showed during a miserable start to the season…

Chandler Parsons scored 24 points and James Harden had 20 for the Rockets, who have lost six of eight. Coach Kevin McHale missed his fourth straight game during a leave of absence to deal with a family matter.

– Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press