Two days after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee, Portland Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood was cleared to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
“I’m solid,” Hood said after warming up Tuesday. “There’s still some soreness. It’s just something that I’m going to have to manage and deal with it.”
Hood got hurt Sunday during the Game 7 victory in the Western Conference semifinals, when he stepped on the foot of Denver Nuggets guard Torrey Craig, who set a back screen on him in the third quarter. Hood went to the floor, and he was helped off the court and to the locker room with 5:35 remaining.
The Trail Blazers initially called the injury a hyperextended left knee. Hood was listed as questionable for Game 1 against the Warriors after an MRI revealed a bone bruise.
Hood averaged 9.6 points in 27 regular-season games for Portland, which acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February.
