INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana Pacers forward Troy Murphy missed Wednesday night's game against Miami because of a sprained ligament in his left knee.
Coach Jim O'Brien said Murphy injured his MCL at the end of a shootaround earlier in the day."We think it's a mild sprain, but it's not my knee," O'Brien said. "It's very painful and he can't cut. He tried to go, he tried to warm up, but he couldn't do it."
The 6-foot-11 Murphy, who is averaging 14.1 points and is third in the NBA at 11.8 rebounds, will have an MRI on the knee Thursday.
O'Brien said the injury would not affect the team's workout routine on days of games.
"You've got to practice if you want to get better, and you have to practice to get ready for games. That's what we do," he said. "You hate to see somebody injured, but it could have been yesterday's practice, it could be tomorrow's practice. That's the way it is in sports."
Murphy had 14 points but only four rebounds against Charlotte on Saturday, ending a run of 14 straight games with at least 10 rebounds.
