MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut has a broken hand, dislocated elbow and sprained wrist that will keep him out indefinitely after a hard fall in Saturday night’s victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The team said Sunday it does not know when he will return, but the injuries leave his availability for a potential playoff run in doubt. He has been released from the hospital.
With Milwaukee leading late in the second quarter, Bogut took a long outlet pass in for a fast break slam dunk. He hung on the rim afterward, was touched in the back by the Suns’ Amare Stoudemire and crashed to the court. He wrenched his right elbow in ugly fashion trying to brace his fall.
Bogut appeared to be in serious pain, briefly writhing on the floor before being helped to his feet by the team’s medical staff. Hunched over and clutching his arm, he ran down the tunnel toward the locker room.
Teammate Brandon Jennings said after the game that he saw Bogut’s elbow “pop out.”
A flagrant foul was called on Stoudemire, and he was booed loudly by Bucks fans, but television replays showed what appeared to be relatively light contact with Bogut.
“The fans didn’t have a clean view of what happened,” Stoudemire said. “But I think once they see the replay they’ll see that there was nothing intentional.”
Jennings said he didn’t think Stoudemire was trying to hurt Bogut.
“Amare doesn’t seem like that type of person,” Jennings said. “I think it was just an accident.”
A long-term injury to Bogut could be a serious loss for the Bucks, who have been one of the NBA’s surprises this season. With Saturday’s win, the Bucks are sixth in the Eastern Conference and are close to clinching a playoff berth.
Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, is having a standout season for the resurgent Bucks, averaging 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds. Nagging injuries have hindered his development during his career.
The Bucks only recently got over another unsettling injury, as Carlos Delfino played his second straight game Saturday after he was taken off the court on a stretcher during a March 26 loss to Miami.
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