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CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas could miss up to a month after suffering a small fracture when he twisted his left ankle last month.

Ilgauskas sprained his ankle during a Dec. 10 game at Philadelphia. He missed only three games but has been bothered by pain and stiffness since returning. An MRI taken Friday revealed that Ilgauskas, who missed nearly two full seasons earlier in his career with foot problems, chipped the talus bone in his ankle.

The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas said he's likely to be "out three to four weeks." He said his left foot, which has pins and screws in it from a restructuring operation, was not affected by the injury.

The Cavaliers' ball movement and offensive production slipped while Ilgauskas was out and limited in recent games. He's averaging 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Anderson Varejao replaced Ilgauskas in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against Chicago. The Cavs came in as the NBA's only unbeaten team at home with a 16-game winning streak on their home floor.

Cleveland forward Wally Szczerbiak was back after missing two games because of a bruised right knee.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press