Artest out indefinitely with thumb injury

Artest originally strained the thumb during a January 17 game against New Jersey. He then aggravated the injury during Tuesday’s loss at New Orleans when he fell on his left hand in Indiana’s first game back from the All-Star break.

Coming off the bench following his first career All-Star appearance, Artest finished the Hornets’ contest with just 13 points on 1-of-10 shooting in 31 minutes. The volatile Artest was benched for missing a Monday night practice and did not enter the game until midway through the second quarter.

The 24-year-old defensive specialist is in the midst of the best season of his career. He is averaging 18.0 points and 5.3 rebounds over 52 games.