CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson has suffered a severe right ankle sprain and will miss the next six to eight weeks of the NBA season before being re-evaluated, the NBA club announced Wednesday.
Jackson sustained the injury midway into the third quarter of Tuesday’s 107-83 home victory over the Indiana Pacers, immediately dropping to the court in pain.
The 27-year-old backcourt standout could not put any pressure on the leg and was helped to the locker room by the team’s medical staff. He did not return to the contest, in which he scored eight points and passed off a season-high 13 assists.
An MRI exam Wednesday showed the extent of the injury, making certain there was nothing broken.
“That was tough, to see my guy go down like that,” Pistons standout Andre Drummond said. “He’ll be OK. It’s not as bad as we thought it was.”
Jackson is averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 assists a game for the Pistons, who likely will start Ish Smith in Jackson’s place on Thursday at Orlando.
The Pistons ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference at 19-14, six games behind pace-setting Boston.
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