New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams underwent X-Rays on his left hand after the Nets lost 104-103 in overtime to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at the Prudential Center. However, the results of those X-Rays came back negative and Williams said he “hopes” he’ll be able to play on Friday afternoon when the Nets take on the Toronto Raptors in London.
“It’s just a little bone bruise,” said Williams, who still managed to score 13 points, dish out a game-high 18 assists and grab five rebounds over 39 minutes in his home debut. “Just a little swollen.”
Williams said he “doesn’t remember” how he banged his left hand. He left the game with 8:17 left in regulation, and was escorted to the locker room by head athletic trainer Tim Walsh. Eventually, Williams returned to the court and checked into the game with 2:56 remaining.
“I don’t know how it happened,” Williams said. “I just know I was going through the lane and I caught someone’s knee.”
Williams had already been battling through a nagging strained tendon in his right wrist. He missed four games earlier in the season because of it.
“It’s tough,” said Williams, who re-aggravated that injury in the first quarter and sported a black brace on his right wrist the rest of the game. “It’s been tough for me for the last month and a half. I just can’t play like I want to play. I’m just thinking about everything. Thinking about getting hit and what I can’t do on defense. I have to play with a closed fist on defense so I don’t reach out and grab somebody. It affects you mentally, but like I said, I just want to be out there and win some games.”
Williams has said the prevailing pain isn’t going to stop until he finally gets some rest. Head coach Avery Johnson said that Williams will be allowed to miss practice in hopes of healing while the team is in London.
“I probably won’t practice,” Williams said. “I wasn’t going to before, and now with the bruise. I may participate, but I just won’t do any shooting or anything like that. I’ll try do what I can.”
Williams was also treated after cutting his left hand in the first quarter on Monday night.
Still, the 26-year-old All-Star, who has averaged 14.7 points and 15.7 assists in his first three games for New Jersey, believes he’ll be able to play on Friday.
“I hope so,” Williams said. “We’ll see how it feels.”