APOKLAHOMA CITY - An ankle injury will keep New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul sidelined for at least a month.
Paul had an MRI on Thursday and has a severely sprained ankle that will take a minimum of four weeks to heal, team spokesman Scott Hall said on Friday.
Paul injured the ankle when he stepped on the foot of Seattle’s Johan Petro late in the first quarter of a game in Seattle on Tuesday.
Paul is the Hornets leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points. He also leads the team in assists with 9.0 per game.
He is the fourth of the Hornets’ top six players out with an injury.
Guard Peja Stojakovic is out for up to three months after back surgery, forward David West is out for up to two months after elbow surgery and key reserve Bobby Jackson will miss another two weeks while recovering from a cracked rib.
Jannero Pargo is expected to replace Paul as the team’s starting point guard. In 28 games, the past two as a starter, Pargo is averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.6 minutes.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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