Warriors rule out Jordan Bell for at least two weeks

CHICAGO — The Warriors ruled out rookie forward Jordan Bell for at least two weeks, after an MRI taken on Thursday confirmed he had inflammation in his sprained left ankle.

According to that timetable, Bell will miss at least the next five games beginning when the Warriors (37-9) play the Houston Rockets (31-12) on Saturday. Bell will also sit out for the Warriors' three-game homestand against New York (Jan. 23), Minnesota (Jan. 25) and Boston (Jan. 27) followed by a game in Utah (Jan. 30).

Bell could return as early as Feb. 2 in Sacramento, though the Warriors will not have clarity on Bell's progress until then. Though the Warriors' medical staff plans to further analyze Bell's MRI, they had enough information to offer the initial timetable.

'Good news overall. No structural damage is the main thing,' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. 'He's a young guy who heals quickly, so hopefully this is best-case scenario.'

Bell watched the Warriors' practice on Friday and limped around without a walking boot. The injury happened 24 seconds into Wednesday's game in Chicago when Bulls center Robin Lopez threw down a one-handed dunk over Bell. Bell eventually was taken off the court in a wheelchair, leaving the Warriors fearing much worse. But x-rays came back negative.

Bell has averaged 5.1 points on 66.4 percent shooting and 3.9 rebounds in 14.4 minutes through 38 appearances. With his absence, third-year forward Kevon Looney will have an increased role after averaging 3.0 points on 60 percent shooting and 2.7 rebounds in 10.9 minutes through 36 games.