Suns big man Gortat out for up to a month

PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) –

Marcin Gortat of the Phoenix Suns slam dunks the ball on February 22, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. Gortat will miss about the next three to four weeks of the NBA season with a sprained foot, the team announced on Thursday.

Phoenix Suns starting center Marcin Gortat will miss about the next three to four weeks of the NBA season with a sprained foot, the team announced on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Polish center underwent an MRI exam on Thursday that revealed the sprain to his right foot, which he suffered with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter of a 98-71 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.

Gortat, in his sixth NBA season, has played in 182 consecutive games for the Suns since joining from Orlando in December of 2010. He has started 138 games in a row from March 27, 2011.

The only Suns player to start every game this season, Gortat is averaging 11.1 points and team-highs of 8.5 rebounds and 1.61 blocks over 61 games.

At 21-40, the Suns are just ahead of Sacramento and New Orleans in a fight to avoid having the worst record in the Western Conference.