Warriors' Festus Ezeli out until after All-Star break

By Jovan Buha
Published

Golden State Warriors backup center Festus Ezeli will likely be out until after the All-Star break because of a knee injury, according to head coach Steve Kerr.

Ezeli has missed the past four games with the injury, and the 45-4 Dubs aren't going to risk him further injuring his knee with a long break on the horizon, according to Inside Bay Area:

"We're going to be cautious," Kerr said after Golden State completed practice in preparation for Saturday's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While Kerr claims the situation hasn't become more serious, Ezeli's agent and the team have agreed to bring in additional doctors to check out the cartilage issue in his knee. It'll take at least a couple days until they have an update.

Golden State has three more games -- vs. Oklahoma City, vs. Houston and at Phoenix -- before the All-Star break, and returns to action against the Trail Blazers in Portland on Feb. 19.

The third-year big man is averaging 7.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 17.8 minutes per game. Marreese Speights and possibly Jason Thompson will receive more playing time in his absence.

Jovan Buha covers the NBA for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jovanbuha.