Blazers' Nurkic out until after All-Star break with calf strain

Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic will be sidelined until at least the All-Star break after an MRI revealed a left calf strain, the team announced Friday.

Nurkic went down with the injury in Wednesday's 122-112 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. He played just two minutes before exiting.

The Bosnian is averaging 13.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 27.3 minutes per game for the 25-26 Blazers. His minutes had gone down to just 24.1 a night since the calendar flipped to 2023.

Without Nurkic against Memphis, backup big man Drew Eubanks put up his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes.

The Blazers are 2-4 without Nurkic this season.