Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders will be out until after the All-Star break due to a fractured right orbital bone, Bucks head coach Larry Drew announced Monday prior to the team's game against the Boston Celtics.
Larry Sanders injury: Bucks center out until after All-Star break with fractured orbital bone
Sanders was elbowed in the face against the Rockets on Saturday and is out indefinitely, adding to the big man’s woes this season.
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Sanders suffered the injury when he was elbowed in the face by James Harden in the first half of the Bucks' 101-95 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Sanders is set to see a specialist for the injury. While Drew said the big man won’t return until after the All-Star break, it’s unclear what the exact time frame is for the injury. The visit to the specialist should clear up some of the questions.
It has been a rough season for Sanders, who signed a four-year, $44 million extension in the offseason after a breakout year in 2012-13. Sanders missed the first two months of the current campaign after breaking his thumb in a bar fight, and his play hasn’t been up to snuff when he has been on the court. The 25-year-old is averaging just 7.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on the year, all of which are reduced from last year’s numbers.
Sanders’ name has come up in trade rumors, although the Bucks didn’t show much interest in a swap at the time because they didn’t want to deal him when his value was so low. This latest injury makes a trade even more unlikely.
Zaza Pachulia will start in place of Sanders against Boston. In addition to Sanders, Caron Butler, O.J. Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova are out of the lineup.
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