Nuggets Gallinari To Miss At Least 3 Weeks With Ankle Injury

DENVER (CBS4/The Sports Xchange) - Danilo Gallinari, the Nuggets leading scorer, will miss at least three weeks after severely spraining his ankle.

Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Denver Nuggets shoots a free throw during the game against the Toronto Raptors on December 3, 2015 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

Gallinari sprained his right ankle in Friday's overtime loss at Dallas. An MRI showed he has two torn ligaments but no fracture.

"He's a vital part of this team and a huge part of what we've done so far," guard Gary Harris said. "Everybody hates to see him go down."

Forward JaKarr Sampson got the start on Monday night in place of Gallinari.

The Nuggets will miss Gallinari's ability to get to the free-throw line. He is averaging 8.2 free throw attempts per game this season.