Trail Blazers Center Jusuf Nurkic Undergoes Surgery for Right Wrist Fracture

Nurkic had been averaging 10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest through 11 games for the Blazers before Thursday.

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will undergo surgery on his fractured right wrist and is expected to miss at least eight weeks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Nurkic suffered the injury in the third quarter of Thursday's game against the Indiana Pacers, the team announced. He did not return to the court.

As Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon drove to the rim, Nurkic swiped at the ball and appeared to catch his right hand on Brogdon's knee.

Nurkic then attempted to block a shot with his left hand as Myles Turner attempted a dunk, a play that ended with Nurkic falling to the ground and bracing himself with his right hand.

The play where Jusuf Nurkic broke his wrist 🙏

(via @NBCSNorthwest)pic.twitter.com/xwwI5BhfbP

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 15, 2021

Nurkic appeared in just eight regular season games last year after recovering from a broken tibia and fibula suffered in March 2019. He averaged 17.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game when the NBA resumed its 2019-20 season in the Orlando bubble, then averaged 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in the playoffs.

Through 11 games prior to Thursday, Nurkic was averaging 10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.