Blazers' Aldridge delaying surgery, will play through torn ligament

In a stunning development, the Portland Trail Blazers have announced that LaMarcus Aldridge will play through a torn ligament in his left thumb and will delay surgery.

Aldridge, who was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, will play against the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

Aldridge injured his thumb against the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

Having Aldridge in the lineup is a boost to a Blazers team still without starting center Robin Lopez and dealing with Nicolas Batum's sprained wrist. Still, there has to be some concern about how playing with a torn ligament could affect Portland's season.

Given the initial six-to-eight-week prognosis, Aldridge would have been set to return in March. The Blazers' 8.5-game lead over Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division may have been threatened, but Portland had built itself a nice cushion and still would have gotten an All-Star back a month before the postseason.

With Aldridge now deciding to play through the injury, there has to be at least a small risk he'll require surgery later in the season and potentially miss playoff time.

Aldridge is averaging 23.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks for the 31-13 Blazers, who perform 6.1 points per-100 possessions better with him on the court, according to Basketball Reference.