ATLANTA - The Braves will lose power-hitting catcher Evan Gattis for at least two weeks after an MRI revealed a bulging thoracic disk.
[b]Daniel Sorensen Super Bowl Jersey[/b] . Gattis is scheduled to receive an epidural and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. The Braves provided no additional information on the severity of the injury Monday night. Gattis is hitting .290 with 16 homers and 39 RBIs in his first season as the Braves primary catcher. He played behind Brian McCann as a rookie in 2013. Gattis missed his fourth straight game Monday night with what the team had called back spasms. Rookie Christian Bethancourt made his first home start on Tuesday night against the Mets and is expected to share time with veteran Gerald Laird at catcher while Gattis is out.
[b]LeSean McCoy Super Bowl Jersey[/b] . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday.
[b]Morris Claiborne Super Bowl Jersey[/b] . The thunderous cheers quickly changed to an appreciative chant: "Ma-son! Ma-son! Ma-son! Headed to New York with new life, Mason sure earned this curtain call. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City defensive specialist Serge Ibaka is expected to miss the rest of the NBA playoffs because of a left calf injury. The 6-foot-10 forward had an MRI on Friday, a day after the Thunder eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and advanced to the Western Conference finals against the Spurs. Game 1 is Monday night in San Antonio. Thunder general manager Sam Presti called it a Grade 2 strain of the plantaris, which takes time to heal and strengthen because of a high re-injury rate. Ibaka was injured during the third quarter Thursday night. "I just want to express our disappointment for Serge, who, as we all know, is an elite competitor and someone that has proven to be a tremendous teammate," Presti said. "He was playing great basketball throughout the season. Hes had a huge impact on our season to date." Last year, All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook was knocked out of the playoffs with a torn ACL in the first round against Houston. The Thunder rallied to win that series before losing to Memphis in the next round. Presti believes the Thunder can rally and be ready for the Spurs. "We have had tthis group together for a while, and theyve been through some ups and downs, and this is just another one that hopefully is only going to make us better," Presti said.
[b]Tyreek Hill Super Bowl Jersey[/b]. Ibakas athletic ability and mid-range jumper have been keys for the Thunder. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 13 post-season games. During the 2013-14 regular season, he had career highs with averages of 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds while leading the league in total blocks for the fourth consecutive season with 219. During his emotional MVP acceptance speech, Kevin Durant singled out Ibaka for stepping up and erasing many of the teams mistakes while Westbrook recovered from his most recent knee surgery. While Westbrook was out, the Thunder went 20-7, and Ibakas numbers jumped to 15.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks with 57 per cent shooting from the field. "For us, we as an organization have been in some situations in the past, and how we respond to those has always been the measure of the teams that weve had in Oklahoma City," Presti said. "Our expectation going forward is that well respond admirably." ' ' '
