Warriors’ Lister May Miss Season After Surgery on Achilles’ Tendon

OAKLAND — Golden State Warrior center Alton Lister, who had appeared in 167 consecutive NBA regular-season games, is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured right Achilles’ tendon, the Warriors said Wednesday.

The 7-foot center was injured Tuesday night in the third quarter of a 118-94 victory over the Clippers. The injury necessitated surgery Wednesday at Eden Hospital in nearby Castro Valley.

Lister, 31, acquired from Seattle in the off-season for a first-round draft pick, had missed only 13 games in eight seasons.

“It felt like somebody kicked me and I fell down,” Lister said Wednesday. “When I tried to get up and walk, I knew something was wrong. I have never been injured before so that’s what will make the recovery process so tough. But fortunately I have almost a year to get this healed and that’s encouraging.”

The injury leaves 7-1 Uwe Blab and 7-7 Manute Bol as the Warriors’ only big men. Injured Jim Petersen, 6-10, is still recovering from Sept. 18 knee surgery.

Coach and General Manager Don Nelson said the team will be picking up another big player to replace Lister “as soon as we can. . . . We’re in the process of doing that already.”