Nuggets' Gallinari has torn knee ligament

LOS ANGELES (AFP) –

Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets grimaces as he injures his left knee on April 4, 2013 in Denver, Colorado.

Denver forward Danilo Gallinari has a torn knee ligament and will require surgery, the Nuggets’ Italian playmaker said on his Facebook page on Friday.

Gallinari was hurt in the second quarter of Denver’s 95-94 NBA victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

His knee buckled as he drove to the basket and he fell to the court in pain before hopping to the sideline to be helped off the court by teammates.

Gallinari is the second-leading scorer for Denver with 16.2 points per game. He also has averages of 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 71 contests this season.

The Nuggets victory over Dallas stretched their home winning streak to 19 games.

But the loss of Gallinari for the remainder of the campaign will be a big blow to playoff-bound Denver’s post-season hopes.

“We’re extremely disappointed for Gallo. He was having a career year in scoring and rebounding and was a huge reason for our success,” Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said. “We will obviously support him and be there for him throughout his recovery.

“Knowing his work ethic and commitment to getting back on the floor, we are confident he will come back stronger than ever next season.”