Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte will be sidelined 4-6 weeks with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, ESPN reported Saturday.
Duarte was hurt while defending against a layup attempt with 7:12 left in the first quarter of Friday night’s 101-99 win against the Miami Heat in Indianapolis.
Heat guard Kyle Lowry attempted a reverse layup and Duarte landed on top of him, rolling his left ankle. He stayed on the floor in obvious pain before being helped off the court.
Duarte, 25, is averaging 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 19.7 minutes per game through nine games (five starts) in his second season.
Drafted 13th overall by Indiana in 2021, he made the NBA All-Rookie second team after averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 55 games (39 starts) last season.
–Field Level Media