Nuggets lose Gallinari to ankle injury in loss to Mavericks

The Denver Nuggets' deflating loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday may have been even more costly, as leading scorer Danilo Gallinari suffered an ankle injury in the defeat.

X-rays came back negative on Gallinari's right ankle after the Italian forward left the game in the third quarter, but Gallo didn't sound very optimistic following the game.

"It's worse than the one I had just two months ago," Gallinari said, referring to the ankle injury that forced him to miss six games in late December.

Gallinari added that in addition to getting another X-ray once the swelling subsides, he will also undergo an MRI.

While the 23-36 Nuggets have fallen out of the Western Conference playoff race, Gallinari has enjoyed a successful year in his first full campaign since knee injuries derailed his last two seasons, averaging a career-high 19.7 points on a True Shooting Percentage of 58.4 with 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.