Nuggets' Gallinari out indefinitely after spraining ankle

X-rays taken after Gallinari hurt the foot during the third quarter of Monday's loss to the Houston Rockets revealed a chip fracture, the team had initially said.

But new tests taken on Tuesday determined the fracture was from a prior injury probably before Gallinari's professional career began, the Nuggets said in a statement.

He will remain in a walking boot for three to five days with his return date undetermined.

Gallinari had hobbled out of the arena on crutches and wearing a walking boot on Monday after injuring the foot.

“I'm not happy it happened to me,” Gallinari told the team's website. “I wanted to play (after the injury) and I wanted to win this game more than anything. I'll be out ... I don't know how long.”

Gallinari, a forward who recently signed a four-year, US$42 million contract, was averaging 17.0 points and 5.2 rebounds while starting all 25 games.

The Nuggets were already without three starters — power forward Nene (strained heel), center Timofey Mozgov (sprained ankle) and shooting guard Arron Afflalo (sprained ankle).

The injuries come with Denver sitting in second place in the Northwest Division, 4-1/2 games behind Oklahoma City.

“No one is going to feel sorry for us except ourselves, and if we feel too sorry for ourselves, we're not going to bounce back,” Nuggets coach George Karl said after Denver's third consecutive loss.

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