Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge to have MRI on injured hand

Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will have an MRI on his injured hand; there is no timetable for his return.

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will have an MRI on his injured thumb later this week, the team announced.

Aldridge was injured in the first quarter of Portland’s 98-94 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Monday after attempting to strip the ball from Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

Aldridge stayed in the game until the 10:26 mark of the second quarter before leaving for good. He received X-rays after the game, which came up negative.

The team said there is no timetable for his return after being examined by a hand specialist.

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"I think he’s at an appointment right now," Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said. "He won’t be traveling to Phoenix and hopefully there’ll be some determination this afternoon as to a course of action… We’ll see what happens. I don’t want to rush to judgment on anything right now."

Aldridge will not play in Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. Portland has gone 3-1 without Aldridge in the lineup this season.

The 29-year-old three-time All-Star leads the Trail Blazers in scoring and rebounding this season, with averages of 23.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a game.

Portland (31-11) has the second-best record in the Western Conference, 3.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors.

- Scooby Axson