Lynx forward Karima Christmas-Kelly to miss rest of season with knee injury

A season already beset by injuries got more difficult for the Lynx. According to a league source, veteran Karima Christmas-Kelly will be shut down for the rest of the season because of lingering right knee pain.

Surgery could be an option. If so, it would be the second surgery in as many seasons for Christmas-Kelly. Playing for Dallas last season, the guard/forward started the first six games before having microfracture surgery on the knee.

Christmas-Kelly signed a three-year contract as a free agent last offseason. But lingering knee pain forced her to miss the start of the regular season. She has appeared in only six of the team's 11 games, averaging 2.7 points and 12.0 minutes.

The Lynx are expected to receive an injury exemption from the league for Christmas-Kelly. Both Temi Fagbenle (Great Britain) and Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy) are trying to help their national teams qualify for the 2020 Olympics, but both players should become available to the Lynx soon.

The Lynx have been without star Seimone Augustus all season. Battling knee pain during training camp, Augustus had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee May 30. Rookie forward Jessica Shepard tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee June 8 and had surgery on June 20.