Trail Blazers center Jeff Pendergraph injures right knee and will not return

Second-year center Jeff Pendergraph left Thursday's exhibition game at Utah with a right knee injury that appears to be serious.

Pendergraph crumpled to the court holding his right knee after Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko drove and scored on him with 10:48 left in the second quarter. Blazers players immediately signaled for athletic trainer Jay Jensen. Pendergraph was unable to put pressure on the knee as he was positioned into a wheelchair on the court. He was wheeled off with his right knee extended and Jensen holding his foot.

Pendergraph was in his fourth minute of action in a game when the Blazers were trailing 31-18.

Shortly before halftime the team announced he will not play tonight or Friday in Denver. General manager Rich Cho said the team is in the process of scheduling a magnetic resonance imaging, but the time and location has not been decided.