Houston Rockets center Clint Capela could be out for four to six weeks following an injury to his right thumb.
The player hurt the finger during the third quarter of his side's loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday; and a subsequent MRI revealed ligament damage.
That is according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, who also reports that the player could seek a second opinion.
"With two starters already out with injuries, Houston Rockets center Clint Capela is expected to miss four to six weeks with ligament damage to his right thumb, league sources told ESPN," Woj wrote on Monday.
"Capela underwent an MRI in Houston on Monday and may get a second opinion with a hand specialist in the near future, league sources said."
After the game, the player explained how he sustained the injury.
“As I was going up for the lob, I got hit in the hand,” he told reporters “We’re going to see what is it when we go back home. It’s just sore right now. We can’t really see anything [on the X-ray] yet. We’ll see what happens.”
This comes as a huge blow to the Rockets, who are already without stars Chris Paul and Eric Gordon. James Harden has been playing out of this world to keep the team's ambitions alive and having Capela around was a huge help as the center had been playing some stellar basketball himself.
What This Means
The Rockets will likely struggle as a result of this development. Capela, who is averaging 17.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and nearly two blocks a night, will leave a gap they just aren't able to fill right now.
Reserves Isaiah Hartenstein and Marquese Chriss are their only other options but forward PJ Tucker plays as a center in small lineups at times.
Fortunately, though, Gordon could return to action this week, but Paul will have to wait a bit longer as he is expected to make his way back to the following week