NEW ORLEANS (AP) Jamal Mashburn, the New Orleans Hornets star forward who missed the first 44 games of the season with an injury to his right knee, will miss at least the next three weeks with swelling in the same knee.

Mashburn injured the knee in training camp and did not play until just before the All Star break. He averaged 20.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 19 games since.

The diagnosis, announced Monday, by team physician Gregor Hoffman was a ``patella femoral irritation.''

Mashburn had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose particles in the knee on Nov. 3.

His absence is the latest bad news for a struggling Hornets team that has lost 11 of 18 games since Jan. 30.