But the malady proved minor and, having sat out two games, Abercrombie will take his place among a team who have barely missed a beat. Almost halfway through the season, the Breakers (9-3) lead the league and are riding a five-game winning streak, a run that includes last week's 11-point win over Saturday's opponents.
That game saw the Kiwi club restrict Childress, the MVP front-runner, to 24 points and nine rebounds, a reasonable haul but one that did not decide the game. A similar outcome would be accepted in Sydney and, in Abercrombie, the Breakers now possess the perfect weapon to throw at a man who has played almost 400 NBA games.
"He played pretty well last time so it'll be fun to match up against him and get a chance to try and lock him down," Abercrombie said of his foe.
That's easier said than done, of course, but Abercrombie could match up well with the league's second-leading scorer. While Reuben Te Rangi and Duane Bailey did a "fantastic" job, according to the man they replaced, there's no accounting for Abercrombie's athleticism and length against a player possessing similar skills.
The Breakers plan to again pack the paint against Childress, putting up a wall whenever he comes inside with the hope of forcing him to settle on the perimeter shot.
Abercrombie's own rhythm has been disrupted by the injury-enforced break but he found a bright side to the lay-off. The quad ailment has been hanging around since the World Cup in September and the rest could be a good thing.
"It doesn't help, of course, taking two weeks off in the middle of the season. But, on the plus side, I'm feeling refreshed at the moment and hopefully that's a positive to come out of it. I'll try to pick up where we left off and keep that rhythm going but we'll just see how we go on Saturday."
And while the Breakers haven't been doing too badly in his absence, going 3-0 without him, Abercrombie hopes the team's fine form can continue now he's back in the lineup. "I think we're doing pretty well with me, too."
