Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic will not play in Game 2

Portland center Jusuf Nurkic will not play in Game 2 of the playoff series against the Warriors. "I'm close, but I'm not ready to play," Nurkic said Tuesday at the Trail Blazers' practice in San Francisco. The 7-footer suffered a fibular fracture to his right leg during a regular-season game in late March. The injury cost him the Blazers' last seven regular-season games and Sunday's playoff opener against the Warriors. In Sunday's game, Portland was able to hang with the Warriors for the first three quarters, and the game featured 15 ties and 22 lead changes. In the final quarter, however, the Warriors' defense held the two guards to 13 points. The Blazers went 14-5 in games Nurkic started. In his last 10 games, he averaged 20.3 points and 13 rebounds, including a career-high 33-point, 15-rebound performance against Denver, his old team. At the beginning of the practice session, Nurkic sat on the bleachers as his teammates shot the ball. Portland head coach Terry Stotts said he didn't know when his starting center would return to the floor.