Nuggets forward Gallinari breaks left thumb

DENVER -- Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari has left Thursday's game against Dallas with a broken left thumb.

Gallinari was injured in the third quarter and X-rays revealed the fracture. He did not return to the game.

Gallinari missed 13 games with a severely sprained ankle suffered against Houston on Feb. 6. He returned to the lineup on March 5 and had started to regain his rhythm.

Gallinari leads the Nuggets in scoring at 15.6 points a game and is averaging 4.6 rebounds.