After straining his left shoulder against the New Jersey Nets on Friday night, Sonics forward Rashard Lewis is questionable to play tonight against Indiana.
Lewis did not practice on Saturday and admitted his shoulder “is still sore,” the result of getting tangled up with New Jersey’s Eric Williams in a rebound battle. It is the same shoulder Lewis dislocated in a 2002 playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I was going up for a rebound and my arm got caught with (Williams),” Lewis said. “It pulled it. … Now it still hurts when I lift my arm up. I’m going to try my best to play, but I just want to see how it feels (tonight).”
Since suffering the dislocation, Lewis has continued to do exercises to strengthen his shoulder muscles, which helps keep the joint intact. Though surgery is a last-resort option, “the rehab has helped it a lot and keeps it from popping all the way out,” he said. “It just sort of slips and gives me a pain for a couple of minutes, but then it goes away.”
After getting hurt against New Jersey, Lewis went to the locker room and returned minutes later with ice wrapped on his shoulder. The ice came off after another few minutes, and Lewis said he could have returned to the game if necessary, “but (the coaches and trainers) didn’t want to risk it because we were winning. So they just told me to go ahead and sit out.”
Practice report: Sonics coach Nate McMillan missed Saturday’s practice to attend the funeral of a Seattle-area acquaintance. He is expected to return for tonight’s game against the Pacers.
In his absence, assistant head coach Dwane Casey put the team through a light midday workout. The players went over the Indiana game plan and got in some shooting before wrapping up after about 45 minutes.
Short practices are, of course, one of the rewards for a winning record. When the Sonics are losing, two-hour workouts and sometimes longer are the norm.
Guard Flip Murray, who played just nine minutes of the season opener due to a strained quadriceps muscle, got in his first full practice in several weeks. Murray remains on the injured list, but could be activated in roughly another week.
Rich Myhre, Herald Writer
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