Toronto Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas underwent surgery on his dislocated left thumb in Palo Alto, Calif., on Thursday, according to the team.
Valanciunas will wear a cast for four weeks and be re-evaluated again at that time.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the Raptors’ 113-93 drubbing of the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night when Draymond Green attempted to swipe the ball away from Valanciunas, who was making a strong move in the post.
It appears Green struck Valanciunas’s hand, as the Lithuanian big man was in visible discomfort and did not return to the game. There was no foul called on the play.
In 30 games this season with the Raptors, Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in a refined role under head coach Nick Nurse’s new offence.
While he’s out, look for veteran centre Greg Monroe and the recently promoted Canadian Chris Boucher to take advantage of the extra minutes.
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