NBA

Bucks centre Andrew Bogut.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE -- Bucks centre Andrew Bogut will be out two to four weeks after the former No. 1 pick was kicked in the left leg in a recent win.

Bogut said Friday night before Milwaukee played Charlotte that he had hoped he just had a charlie horse bruise after he left a 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday.

Bogut stayed in the game for several minutes after he was kicked, but the pain grew worse and an MRI taken Thursday revealed that he had strained a ligament on the outside of his left calf to go along with a bruise.

"It's very disappointing. I don't want to be hurt," said Bogut, who is averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds since missing more than half of last season with a stress fracture in his lower back. "It wasn't like I stepped wrong, or I did it running. I got hit."

The injury came after one of Bogut's best performances of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Nets. He didn't mention the injury after the game and stood throughout his interviews even though he said he knew something was wrong.

"I had shooting pain all the way down my leg. I knew it was bad," the 24-year-old Bogut said. "I was hurting after the game, I could barely walk to my car and could barely walk after the game. I thought maybe I'd wake up and feel better, but I woke up and felt worse."

Milwaukee is already missing guard Michael Redd (strained left knee) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot). Now, Bucks coach Scott Skiles is dealing with another injury.

Milwaukee didn't have Redd and Bogut for a large portion of last season, and went 10-23 without the pair after Redd was injured on Jan. 24.

"You don't ever want times like this, that's for sure," Skiles said. "Last year when it happened we weren't able to hold it together, so hopefully having a deeper team that we have we can weather it a little bit better."

Bogut won't travel on Milwaukee's upcoming four-game road trip that begins Saturday night in Memphis. Mbah a Moute said he's day-to-day. Redd was out again Friday night, but running and working out before the game.

"He looked better today than he did yesterday. He seems to be getting noticeably better," Skiles said. "I would imagine (he'd return) sometime on this trip."