INDIANAPOLIS — Sunday and Monday were among the most painful days Nuggets guard Ty Lawson can remember. He’d never had a broken rib. Now, he does, after suffering the fracture Saturday in the Nuggets’ 126-109 loss at Detroit.

And the healing process is going to extend into the all-star break.

Lawson’s broken rib kept him from playing against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night and will prevent him from competing in Wednesday night’s game at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

When he returns after that is anyone’s guess, but he’ll have the all-star break to get it figured out.

The Nuggets’ first game after the break is Feb. 18 at home against the Phoenix Suns.

“I would imagine it would be a little while,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “I saw when he (got injured), how he writhed in pain, and it took him pretty much until (Monday) to be able to sit up straight. Luckily for us, after (Monday’s) game and Wednesday’s game we have the all-star break, so that will give us a built-in three, four, five days before our next game.”

The broken rib is the first of Lawson’s life. Outside of a finger fracture, he said he had never broken a major bone before this one.

And though it has been one of the most painful experiences of his life, Lawson took some solace in when the injury occurred.

“It couldn’t be better timing,” Lawson said. “The all-star break is coming up, so hopefully it will give me time to (miss) these two games and I can rest during the all-star break.”

Beaten-up Nuggets. Lawson’s injury is the worst, but it is by no means the only ailment the Nuggets are dealing with. Shaw says the all-star break comes at a good time for others besides Lawson.

“We have a few other guys that have some knickknack injuries,” Shaw said. “But you know, it’s the time of season that it is. I think that’s why whoever did the schedule many years ago, they put in an all-star break a little beyond the midpoint of the season so that guys could recover and recuperate and try to have a strong second half to the season.”