Houston Rockets center Clint Capela had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb Thursday and is expected to miss four to six weeks, general manager Daryl Morey said Thursday.
Capela suffered the injury while getting hit on a lob play during Sunday night's loss to Orlando. He underwent an MRI in Houston on Monday.
After signing a five-year, $80 million contract extension this summer, Capela has career-high averages of 17.6 points and 12.6 rebounds to go with 1.8 blocks a game this season.
Sources previously told ESPN that Capela was expected to miss four to six weeks and that the Rockets expect him to miss the remaining 15 games before the All-Star break, with a potential return for the Feb. 21 road game against the Los Angeles Lakers.