The New Orleans Hornets confirmed Chris Paul has a sprained left ankle and indicated the All-Star point guard will be sidelined indefinitely.
Paul left Friday's game against Portland after falling awkwardly on his left ankle late in the third quarter. He drove to the basket and was met by Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla. The guard went up for a jump-pass and came down on Przybilla's foot.
After several moments on the floor, Paul was helped to the locker room with the aid of teammates and trainers. He finished the game with eight assists and just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.
An MRI exam confirmed the sprain and the team gave no timetable to his return on Monday.
So far this season Paul is averaging 23.8 points, 9.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds a game, but the Hornets are stuck near the bottom of the Southwest Division standings at 3-8.
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