CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson suffered a sprained right ankle in the Cavs' 126-117 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday and will miss "multiple games," the team announced Sunday.
Thompson stepped on the heel of a Nuggets player in the first half on Saturday. He went on to play 13 minutes in the second half -- finishing the game with 12 points and seven rebounds -- but experienced "significant swelling" overnight, according to the team.
Thompson, who missed 20 games this season because of a left calf muscle injury, is averaging career lows in points (6.3), rebounds (6.5) and minutes (21.7) per game.
Larry Nance Jr., who will likely start in Thompson's place when the Cavs host the Detroit Pistons on Monday, also suffered a minor injury against the Nuggets.
"I think it was Gary Harris ran past me and totally accidental kind of ran into my knee a little bit, hyperextended," Nance said. "But it's fine, I was ready to go back in. I just needed to come out, like, 'I'm all right, good, let's go.' Coach [Tyronn] Lue decided to stay with the guys that were in, but I was ready to go."
Cleveland recalled rookie center Ante Zizic from the Canton Charge, their G League affiliate. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Zizic averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game in five appearances with Canton this year.
