INDIANAPOLIS — The Nets announced Saturday evening before their 105-91 loss to the Pacers that Brook Lopez will have surgery to repair the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot on Jan. 4.
The surgery will be the third on Lopez’s troublesome right foot over the past two calendar years.
Lopez, 25, suffered his latest injury to that same foot Dec. 20 in Philadelphia, when he landed awkwardly after getting tangled up with Evan Turner while being fouled with just under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 121-120 overtime loss, and the Nets announced he had suffered the fracture and was out for the season the following morning.
The 7-foot center, who was averaging over 20 points per game, initially injured the foot on Dec. 20, 2011, in a preseason game at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, having surgery soon after to place a screw in the foot. He played only five games during the lockout-shortened season after another issue with the foot was found.
Lopez then had surgery again this past offseason to replace the screw after an end-of-season physical discovered that it had bent. He was fully ready for training camp, however, before missing nine games with a sprained left ankle before going out for the season.
He was in the midst of having another terrific season on the heels of making his first All-Star team a year ago, averaging 20.6 points while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and establishing himself as the league’s best low-post scoring threat in addition to improving his defense, especially in terms of protecting the rim.
The Nets were without Andray Blatche for a second straight game, as the backup big man is out for at least the next two more games, as well, due to personal reasons.
Nets coach Jason Kidd announced before Friday’s win over the Bucks in Brooklyn that Blatche — who had been at the shootaround earlier Friday — would not be with the team either against Milwaukee or on its three-game road trip to Indiana, San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
After Kidd said Friday Andrei Kirilenko likely would not make the trip because of his ongoing bout with back spasms, Kirilenko did travel with the team and worked out before Saturday’s loss.
Kidd said Kirilenko, who has missed 25 consecutive games and 26 overall because of the spasmss, potentially could begin playing in either San Antonio Tuesday or Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Kidd replaced Shaun Livingston with Mirza Teletovic from Friday’s starting five, giving the Nets their 14th different starting lineup of the season.
Teletovic finished with 17 points and four rebounds in 30:37, while Livingston had eight points and two assists in 14:58.