Lakers shut down rookie Ivica Zubac for season with ankle sprain

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Rookie center Ivica Zubac will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers' season because of a high ankle sprain.

Zubac was hurt in the first quarter of a loss to Minnesota on Thursday night. X-rays were negative Friday, but an MRI exam confirmed the sprain of his right ankle.

He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, but the last-place Lakers (21-54) have only seven games left. They're in the worst four-year stretch in franchise history.

The 7-foot-1 Zubac has completed a promising debut season with the Lakers, averaging 7.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. He played in 38 games with 11 starts, getting extensive time in recent weeks after Los Angeles shut down veteran Timofey Mozgov.

The 20-year-old Zubac was a second-round pick out of Croatia.