PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers starting center Jusuf Nurkic will miss at least the next seven games after an MRI revealed a left calf strain, the team announced Friday. The Blazers said Nurkic "is expected to return after the All-Star break."
The NBA All-Star break runs from Feb. 17-22. Portland returns from the break with a road game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, Feb. 23.
Nurkic, 28, left a game in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 25 with left calf soreness. He didn't play in the next game against the Raptors, played 26 minutes in Monday's win against the Hawks, and then left the game against the Grizzlies after a couple minutes.
In the game against Memphis, Nurkic pulled up and grabbed at his left calf 2:29 into the first quarter. He motioned to the sideline that he needed to be taken out of the game and then committed an intentional foul so he could exit.
In 45 starts this season, Nurkic is averaging 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game. Prior to the Memphis game, Nurkic was mired in a mini-slump, averaging 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes, while shooting just 45.3% from the field, over his past six games.
The Feb. 9 trade deadline looms, with multiple reports indicating that the Blazers are open to discussing trades for Nurkic. While the calf injury doesn't preclude Portland from trading Nurkic, it could diminish his trade market. One report stated that the Blazers would only trade Nurkic "for an upgrade at center."
The Blazers have only one other center on their active roster, Drew Eubanks. The Troutdale native and Oregon State alum is averaging 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 18.9 minutes per game this season.
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