O’Neal out against Bobcats.
November 28th, 2008 Posted in NBA basketball newsO’Neal out against Bobcats. Forward Jermaine O’Neal missed Wednesday’s game against Charlotte with a sore left ankle after leaving Toronto’s previous two games because of injuries.
Jamario Moon replaced O’Neal in Toronto’s starting lineup.
A strained left knee forced O’Neal out in the fourth quarter of Friday’s overtime loss to New Jersey. He returned to the starting lineup in Sunday’s loss to Boston but lasted only 14 minutes before injuring his ankle when he landed awkwardly while taking a jump shot, coming down on the foot of a Boston player.
O’Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering pain from a torn ligament in his left knee that was surgically repaired the previous summer. He said he didn’t want to make either the knee or ankle injuries any worse by playing against the Bobcats.
“I don’t want to compromise our season,” he said.
O’Neal, who is averaging 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds, missed practice the past two days and has not been able to run since injuring his ankle. He hopes to return to practice Thursday and could play Friday when Toronto hosts Atlanta. The Raptors have lost seven of 10 following a 3-0 start to the season.
