NBA notes: Thunder’s Andre Roberson to miss two months after setback from surgery

Thunder guard Andre Roberson will miss at least two months after a setback in his recovery from left knee surgery.

A Thunder spokesman said Roberson underwent a minor procedure Thursday. Roberson previously had been doing non-contact work in practice and had hoped to be ready to play in December.

Roberson suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in January and missed the second half of the season.

The Thunder suffered without one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and was eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.

The 6-foot-7 Roberson was an All-Defense second-team selection during the 2016-17 season.

76ers top Mavericks in China

JJ Redick made all 10 of his shots and scored 28 points, Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and the Philadelphia 76ers downed the Dallas Mavericks 120-114 in Shanghai in the opener of the NBA China Games.

Redick made all seven of his shots from three-point range for the 76ers, who trailed by 15 points early. Ben Simmons finished with nine points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for Philadelphia.

Dennis Smith Jr. had 15 points in the game’s first 8 minutes and finished with 20 for the Mavericks. Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki sat out the game while continuing to recover from left ankle surgery, though he was presented with a guitar during a second-half stoppage in play by former NBA player Wang Zhizhi of China.

Dallas was also without China’s Ding Yanyuhang, who sat out with knee soreness. He addressed the crowd in Mandarin before tip-off. So did Embiid, who capped his remarks with “trust the process,” and Nowitzki, who drew loud roars when he greeted the fans in Shanghai with “Ni hao” — or hello.