NBA roundup: Blazers’ Aldridge out with hand injury

Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge will miss Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns after sustaining a left hand injury during the second quarter Monday night against the Sacramento Kings.

Aldrdige will not travel to Phoenix with the team for its game against the Suns while the hand undergoes further examination from a specialist. The team announced that initial X-rays were negative. Aldridge did not return to Monday’s game after he was injured. He had 10 points and one rebound in 14 minutes before exiting.

The 29-year-old veteran entered the night leading the team with per-game averages of 23.5 points (sixth in the NBA) and 10.4 rebounds (tied for ninth in the league).

—Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James did not participate in Tuesday’s practice because of flu-like symptoms and remained at home to recover.

His status for Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz will be determined at the Cavs’ morning shootaround on Wednesday.

James returned last week from an eight-game absence to rest a sore back and knee. The Cavaliers struggled to a 1-7 record without him on the floor but are 3-1 since he rejoined the lineup. The 30-year-old star scored 26 points in 36 minutes on Monday night in the Cavs’ 108-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

—Volume scorer Archie Goodwin was recalled from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League by the Phoenix Suns.

Goodwin averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in three games at the NBADL Showcase Cup. He scored 22 points with nine rebounds and three steals in Monday’s 105-99 victory over the Grand Rapids Drive to win the cup. The 6-5 guard scored 24 points in each of the Jam’s first two games of the tournament against the Texas Legends and Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Goodwin was averaging 19.5 points on 43.9 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 31.6 minutes overall in six games over two assignments with Bakersfield this season.

—The Cleveland Cavaliers assigned guard Joe Harris to the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League on Tuesday.

Harris is averaging 2.9 points in 33 games, including one start, for the Cavs this season. He scored a career-high 16 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 5.

The 23-year-old Harris was selected by the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft out of Virginia.

—Coach Tom Thibodeau poured praise on point guard Derrick Rose before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the anticipated nemesis of the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Then the Cavaliers manhandled the Bulls 108-94 and Rose peppered the team with flammable remarks.

“Everybody has to be on the same page,” Rose said. “Until then, we’re going to continue to get our butt kicked. It’s the whole team. We’re not communicating when we’re on the floor. Everybody’s quiet. We’ve got to give a better effort. It seems like we’re not even competing.”

Chicago and Cleveland were expected to be the top two teams in the East this season. Instead, the Bulls (27-16) own the fourth-best record in the conference and the Cavs (22-20) are sixth in the East.

—The Denver Nuggets sent rookie guard Erick Green to Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League on Tuesday.

Green, a second-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2013 NBA Draft before he was traded to Denver, has played in 14 games for the Nuggets this season and averages 3.3 points.

Green was with Montepaschi Siena in the Italian League last season after leading the NCAA in scoring at 25 points per game as a senior at Virginia Tech.