During the 94-75 Portland victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Blazers guard Wesley Matthews suffered an apparent leg injury and did not return to the game. A few minutes after the conclusion of the contest, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Matthews, one of NBA's ironman, has suffered a torn left Achilles’ tendon and will miss the remainder of the season.
The injury took place late in the third period when Matthews was trying to make a dribble move and his leg hyperextended and gave out. He left the game, and there was immediate concern that he may have suffered a serious injury.
"What’s the normal timetable? 8 months, something like that? So I’ll try to get back in 5," Matthews said jokingly after the game.
Matthews has been one of Portland’s best perimeter defenders and consistent players this season. His three-point shooting and defensive prowess will certainly be missed. In 59 games, Matthews has averaged 16.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals on 39 percent shooting from three-point range.
Luckily, the Blazers struck that deal before the trade deadline to acquire Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee. In Matthews’ absence, Afflalo should step in as the starting two-guard, a role that he is familiar with and should fulfill it beautifully.
Also, while Matthews is sidelined, Nicolas Batum must step in and fill in his shoes. The versatile Frenchman has had an inconsistent season but has picked it up of late. The Blazers will need more consistency and efficiency from Batum moving forward.
This is an unfortunate loss for the Blazers who are a top team in the Western Conference and have championship aspirations. Wesley Matthews has been a huge part of their success, but they will now have to learn to play without him.
Achilles injuries are difficult to recover from, so it may take Matthews a complete year to heal and return to game action. However, a real timetable for recovery will be determined once Matthews undergoes surgery.