American Lamar Patterson has been cleared of serious injury, after limping from the court during NZ Breakers' latest Australian NBL defeat to Illawarra Hawks.
The powerful forward went down, clasping a knee, after making a layup during the third quarter. He immediately left the game and didn't return, contributing 13 points and one rebound in a 102-88 loss.
The club has announced that he avoided serious knee injuries, but it's still unclear whether he will be available to face Sydney Kings on Thursday.
Patterson is a two-time All-ANBL First Team selection and a former college teammate of Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams, but his form so far this season has been a contributing factor to the Breakers' one-win/five-loss record at the foot of the competition table.
After scoring 21.4 points a game for Brisbane Bullets last season, Patterson is averaging just 10.8 points for the Breakers, shooting just 37 percent from the field and 22 percent from the three-point arc.
But the four-time ANBL champions cannot afford to lose their import, after Tall Blacks centre Rob Loe returned home from Australia last week, ruling himself out of a return this season.