Rajon Rondo has said that he will be "fine" to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder later this week following time out with fractures to his nose and eye socket.
The Dallas Mavericks point guard suffered the injuries during an accidental clash with teammate Richard Jefferson last month, forcing him to sit out the team's last six games.
"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," ESPN quotes the 28-year-old as saying.
"I'm very blessed. I've had a couple surgeries before and it's not a good thing to come back from surgery or any injury. Keeping my fingers crossed, keep praying. Like I said, I'm in a grateful situation.
"I tried to wear [a protective mask] today in practice, but we didn't have much contact for me to put it on. I came in last night and shot in the mask. It's custom made for my face, so it's not uncomfortable."
Rondo has averaged 9.2 points per game since joining Dallas in a trade from the Boston Celtics in December.
Sian Cowper
