Robin Lopez's hand fracture could keep him out until February.
The Portland Trail Blazers' center tweeted Tuesday that the injury will keep him sidelined for six-to-seven weeks. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports initially reported that Lopez would miss four weeks as a result of the injury.
Lopez, who's averaging 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 games as Portland's starting center, suffered the fracture in Monday's win over the San Antonio Spurs.
His absence will test the Trail Blazers' frontcourt depth, with veteran Chris Kaman, among others, taking on a more prominent role. But a hot start in a weak division has given Portland some breathing room.
The Trail Blazers (19-6) enter Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 7.5-game lead on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Northwest.
