Rondo will return for Thursday’s game against OKC
DALLAS – Point guard Rajon Rondo will be back in the starting lineup Thursday when the Dallas Mavericks hit the road to play the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, coach Rick Carlisle said he’s not sure yet if center Tyson Chandler (sprained left ankle) will be able to play against the Thunder. Chandler missed one game after suffering his injury in the Feb. 9 game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rondo has been sidelined since suffering an orbital fracture to his left eye and a nasal fracture during a Jan. 31 game in Orlando. The mercurial playmaker missed the past six games following the violent collision with teammate Richard Jefferson.
Rondo was able to avoid surgery and said after Tuesday’s practice that he had targeted the game against the Thunder as the one he had hoped to make his triumphant return.
"I got hurt, I think, the 31st of January and whether I had surgery or not, I thought I would probably come back at this time,’’ Rondo said. "I wanted to, but that’s why if I had to do surgery I wanted to push it up as fast as possible.
"Each couple days I went back to the doctor and he evaluated me and it got bettero the doctor and he evaluated me and it got better each time. So I passed a lot of the eye exam tests and feel better each day."
Rondo said he wore a protective mask while shooting Monday night, but did not at Thursday’s practice. He also said he doesn’t know if he’ll wear one in Thursday’s game.
"My main concern was double vision, and I don’t have double vision,’’ Rondo said. "I’ve talked to a couple doctors and for the most part, pretty much said the same thing.
"If I’m not having double vision and my eye hasn’t dropped two millimeters, then I’ll be fine."
This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Rondo will return for Thursday’s game against OKC."