Injury to sideline Bucks’ Sanders for season

Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders will miss the remainder of the season while recovering from a fractured orbital bone.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirmed with Sanders that he will not return this season as a result of the injury that required surgery.

The 6-foot-11 Sanders was hurt on Feb. 8 during a game against Houston when he was elbowed by Rockets guard James Harden on a rebound. He told the Journal Sentinel that his recovery is progressing and he hopes to be healthy for the 2014-15 season

It was not a good season for the 25-year-old Sanders. He suffered a hand injury in a bar fight and missed a month with a thumb injury. The injuries limited Sanders to 23 games in which he averaged 7.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots for the struggling Bucks.

Those numbers were down from a career season in 2012-13 when he averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots. His performance led to a four-year, $44 million contract extension during the offseason.