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Wesley Matthews to shed walking boot

Portland Trail Blazers starter Wesley Matthews, who had surgery after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon on March 5, will shed his walking boot earlier than expected.

Matthews, during an appearance on NBA-TV, said he's ahead of schedule after having season-ending surgery on March 11.

"My main focus is getting healthy and coming back better than ever," he said.

Matthews was third on the team with an average of 15.9 points per game, along with 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Blazers this season. He started 60 games and was fourth in the NBA with 173 3-pointers at the time of the injury before falling to ninth at the end of the regular season.