LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol has been sidelined indefinitely after sustaining a tear in his right foot, his team said on Wednesday.
Gasol was injured during the Lakers’ victory over Brooklyn on Tuesday and received scans which confirmed an injury serious enough to keep him off court for a while.
Los Angeles has not given a specific timetable on his return and the 7-foot (2.13m) Spaniard will meet with team doctors on Thursday to sketch out a plan for his recuperation.
“I’m hoping to recover ASAP so I can be back with the team and keep fighting until the end of the season,” Gasol tweeted on Wednesday.
The Lakers (23-26) have only recently found their rhythm – winning six of their last seven game – as they try to climb from 10th in the Western Conference into one of the top eight playoff spots.
They are already without center Dwight Howard, who has missed the last three games while nursing a shoulder ailment, and can hardly afford another injury.
Gasol had been moved to a reserve role to make room in the paint for Howard, but over his last three games had averaged 20 points and 8.6 rebounds in the starting lineup
