* Tonight on TNT: Cavaliers vs. Rockets (8 ET)
Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose has emerged as the team’s No. 3 scorer (14.3 points per game) this season. He has also dealt with some nagging ankle issues this season, missing a four-game stretch late last month. It appears those ankle issues are bothering him again and have affected his status for tonight’s game.
According to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin, Rose will not play against Houston as he tries to get some relief for his balky left ankle:
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Derrick Rose will miss Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets because of continuing discomfort in his left ankle, multiple sources told ESPN.
The Cavs will start Iman Shumpert in Rose’s place, sources said.
Rose already missed four games because of his sprained left ankle, which occurred late in the Cavs’ second game of the season — a win over the Milwaukee Bucks — when Greg Monroe committed what was later upgraded to a flagrant foul on the 2011 NBA MVP.
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Houston marks the start of a four-game trip for the Cavs (5-6), followed by games against the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets.
Rose’s status for the Mavs game is still undetermined, sources said.
