Indianapolis ? Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal likely will not play again this season because of a shoulder injury he sustained nearly two weeks ago.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that doctors still were waiting for the swelling to subside and that no decision had been made on whether the All-Star forward would need surgery.

“We have to go on the idea that he’s not going to be here,” Carlisle said. “That’s how we have to approach it. We can’t be hanging our hopes on his return. It’s going to be awhile if he comes back at all.”

O’Neal, who is averaging a career-high 24.8 points, was hurt March 3 when his right arm was pulled back by Denver’s Francisco Elson on a drive to the basket. He has not played since and missed his sixth straight game when Indiana beat Utah, 103-84, Wednesday night.

O’Neal again declined interview requests Tuesday as he left the team’s practice gym with an ice pack on his shoulder.

While the Pacers have won three of the five games since the injury, they went 5-10 during O’Neal’s 15-game suspension for his role in the November brawl at Detroit.

“It’s like losing Shaq in Miami or losing Tim Duncan (in San Antonio),” Stephen Jackson said. “It’s big, we need him, but we’ve still got to play. It’s frustrating to everybody, but we’ve been through so much this year that when anything happens, we expect it.”