Kirilenko sidelined by broken nose

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Kirilenko is likely to miss his team’s Euroleague contest against Zalgiris. REUTERS photo

Russian superstar Andrei Kirilenko is likely to be sidelined for a few matches after suffering a broken nose during his CSKA Moscow’s match against Krasnye Krylia in a Russian League game on Nov. 19.
Kirilenko didn’t move for several seconds after crashing to the floor in a Russian League game while blood flowing from above his eye pooled on the floor. Eventually, he could be seen talking as he was bandaged and walking off-court under his own power.
CSKA issued a statement saying that in addition to the broken nose, Kirilenko received stitches for the cut, but apparently did not suffer a concussion.
The statement said his nose will be fixed upon returning to Moscow for additional tests that will pay particular attention to the left shoulder he landed on while being tripped accidentally as he tried to make a steal against Krasnye Krylia.
The Russian has been the Turkish Airlines Euroleague’s top-rated player so far this season. Kirilenko, in his return to CSKA this season, has led the team to a 5-0 record in Euroleague regular season Group B while being named bwin MVP for opening week, the month of October and last week.
At the halfway point of the regular season, CSKA can clinch a place in the Top 16 with one more victory just a year after it had failed to survive that long following a record eight consecutive Final Four appearances. Kirilenko leads all Euroleague players so far in rebounds (nine per game), blocks (3.2 per game) and performance index rating (29.4).