UPDATE, 8 ET
Despite moving gingerly in warmups, Trail Blazers swingman Rodney Hood has reportedly said he will play in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Rodney Hood says he’s playing in Game 1.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 14, 2019
* * *
Rodney Hood’s playing status for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals remains up in the air.
The key reserve on the Portland Trail Blazers is listed as questionable after an MRI revealed a bone bruise he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 7 win in Denver that clinched the West semifinals. Hood, who had to be helped off the court, has contributed key minutes off the bench to help Portland reach its first conference final since 2000.
After Sunday’s win against the Nuggets, Hood told reporters he was unsure when he’d be able to play in the West finals against the Golden State Warriors.
“Day-by-day,” Hood said Sunday, per The Oregonian. “Hopefully the pain goes down tonight and (Monday). Hopefully, it’s feeling better by Tuesday. I’m going to try to shoot for Tuesday, if possible.”
Two of Hood’s most important playoff games came in the West semifinals vs. Denver. His 25-point outburst in Game 6 allowed Portland to force Game 7 and, in Game 3 of that series, he nailed the game-clinching shot in that four-overtime thriller. Overall, Hood is averaging 9.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs while shooting 38.2 percent on 3-pointers and 49.4 percent overall.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
