“The influence of a sports scientist happens before and after the games. That is scant consolation regarding a match that was won by Real Salt Lake with goals in the 85th and 88th minutes, but it’s all that’s on offer. For NBA sports medicine experts, injuries can’t simply be attributed to the ‘injury bug’, random events that strike players down without rhyme or reason. The Atlanta-Washington, Portland-Golden State, Chicago-Boston and Oklahoma City-Houston match-ups begin Sunday.