New Jersey Nets forward Nenad Krstic will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury, the NBA team said on Saturday.

New Jersey Nets center Nenad Krstic screams in pain on the the court as he injures his knee while playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter of their NBA basketball game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, December 22, 2006. [Reuters]

Krstic, the second highest scorer for the Nets in this campaign, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Friday's home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 23-year-old Serbian will have surgery "at an unspecified future date," Nets president Rod Thorn said in a statement.

Krstic, who is averaging 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in his third season with the Nets, suffered the injury in the third quarter against the Lakers.

After catching a pass from Richard Jefferson, he backed in on Lakers center Kwame Brown before falling to the ground clutching his knee as he tried to angle in toward the basket.

"I went to spin, my knee twisted and I heard a pop," Krstic said in a statement released by the team.

Jefferson added: "He's having the best season of his career and was playing extremely well. He's actually been one of the bright spots to our season up to this point.

"I don't know what it's going to be like (without him)."

The Nets, who have a win-loss record of 11-15 this season, lie second behind the struggling Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division standings in the Eastern Conference.