LeBron James expects to play today against the Washington Wizards, saying he "feels good" after testing his sprained left ankle.
James practiced Saturday, four days after rolling his ankle late in the third quarter of a 23-point loss in Detroit.
"I feel good right now," James said. "It feels about 85 percent now, and that's good enough to play without hurting the team."
James missed a 91-87 home win over New York on Thursday. He intends to play in Cleveland's final three regular-season games to stay sharp for the Cavaliers' first trip to the playoffs since 1998.
Still, he doesn't want to risk further injury, putting the team's postseason hopes in jeopardy.
"I'll play it game by game and see how I feel," he said. "I want to be 100 percent when it counts the most."
The third-year guard, who is averaging 31.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and is a candidate for league MVP honors, said his initial worry turned to relief shortly after crashing to the court.
"When it first happened, I didn't know what to expect," he said. "It was a big relief when I was able to walk to the locker room."
BROWN WON'T COACH TODAY:Larry Brown did not travel to Detroit on Saturday and will not coach the Knicks today when they play the Pistons. Brown was hospitalized Thursday night in Cleveland with a stomach ailment after becoming ill during the Knicks' 91-87 loss to the Cavaliers. He returned home Friday, but assistant coach Herb Williams ran the team in a 97-80 loss to Milwaukee.
PORTER PURSUING BLAZERS: Former Trail Blazers guard Terry Porter said he is rounding up potential investors interested in buying the team and the Rose Garden. Owner Paul Allen told The Oregonian newspaper in Los Angeles on Friday night that he has come to terms with selling the troubled team, which has the worst record in the NBA this season and which, he says, has been costing him millions of dollars to keep afloat.
WALLACE MISSES GAME: Charlotte Bobcats leading scorer Gerald Wallace missed Saturday's game against Indiana with bruised ribs. Wallace, who is averaging 15.4 points a game, has been battling rib pain for the past several weeks. He aggravated the injury when he hit the floor hard in the first half of Friday's win over Atlanta.
TINSLEY SITS OUT: Indiana guard Jamaal Tinsley missed the Pacers' game against Charlotte on Saturday night with a sprained right Achilles' tendon. Tinsley aggravated the injury in Friday's win over Minnesota. He attempted to warm up before the game, but was ruled out just before tipoff and changed into street clothes in the first quarter.