NBA Notebook | Brandon Roy may miss season's final games

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers are looking at the real possibility of playing their final 10 games without All-Star guard Brandon Roy.

Roy, the former Washington Husky, could be out two weeks and maybe longer, the Blazers said Wednesday, after he sustained a nasty groin injury Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards.

Blazers trainer Jay Jensen said there was no tear in the muscle, but that the Blazers may not know for a while how serious the injury is.

Roy tried to do work in the swimming pool Wednesday, but Jensen pulled the plug on the activity when Roy began to experience pain.

"It's conceivable that he can play again," Jensen told The Oregonian. "But in the next few days we'll get a better feel for how much improvement he has made. The thing is, we are not in any hurry to get him back."

The Blazers have very slim playoff chances, sitting several games behind Golden State and Denver for the final spot in the Western Conference.

Roy plans to return, anyway.

"I'm not saying there is a guarantee I will be able to come back and play, but if I can, that's my goal," Roy told reporters Wednesday. "Even if it's the last two games, I want to give it a try and finish the season."

Roy was attempting to block Wizards forward Caron Butler's three-point heave just before the first-quarter horn when he was injured. Roy came down awkwardly and strained his right groin and hip when Butler fell on him.

Roy left the game, then returned four minutes into the second quarter, only to leave again after less than two minutes.

Nuggets get Nene back

DENVER — The minutes didn't matter. The Denver Nuggets were just encouraged to see a uniform draping Nene's beefy body again, and that great smile splashed across his face once more.

The big Brazilian forward played the final 77 seconds of the Nuggets' 118-105 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, marking his return to the court 2 ½ months after surgery to remove a malignant testicular tumor.

"Everybody was excited to see Nene back out there, just to see him back in his uniform, seeing him smile again after the stuff he's been through," said Carmelo Anthony, who scored 32 points and keyed the decisive run in the Nuggets' fourth straight win.

Nene had been out since Jan. 11, and it has been just over a month since he underwent chemotherapy.

In the locker room afterward, Nene never stopped smiling. He said he's still full of nerves, still absent enough stamina but certainly not lacking any strength.

"I survived, I'm still here," he said. "I'm a new man, stronger than ever. I just say, 'Thank you, everybody.' "

Allen Iverson added 31 points for the Nuggets, who moved into a tie with Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot, one game behind the Mavericks.

The Warriors visit the Pepsi Center on Saturday night for another big matchup.

"That game's bigger than this game," suggested Anthony.

But this game will long be remembered, too.

When Nene stripped off his warmups and finally entered the game with 1:17 left, he was given a rousing standing ovation and teammate Kenyon Martin embraced him in a bear hug.

"George Karl said, 'Go ahead, enjoy your party,' " Nene said. "It's a special moment in my life."

Nene had hoped to play about 5 minutes, but those aspirations were dashed when the Nuggets fell behind by 15 points early on.

Besides, it's not as though the Nuggets were looking for a major contribution or even an emotional lift.

"It's not about how he plays," coach George Karl, a fellow cancer survivor, said before tip-off. "We're just happy he's back."

Notes

• Boston PG Rajon Rondo watched practice from a stationary bike as he nursed a sore right hamstring. He was hurt Wednesday night in the third quarter of Boston's win over Phoenix.

"I don't think it's anything bad, but I actually don't really know," coach Doc Rivers said. "He should be fine by [today]. If he's not we just go with somebody else."

• Toronto signed former San Antonio F Linton Johnson to a 10-day contract. To make room, G Darrick Martin was waived.