Tony Parker won’t be playing anytime soon.
According to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, point guard Tony Parker will be “out for a while,” as he continues to deal with a nagging hamstring injury. Parker has missed nine of the Spurs’ last 12 games, including their 97-90 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Parker played in San Antonio’s 106-114 Christmas Day loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but apparently re-aggravated the injury during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers early this week. Here’s what Popovich had to say about Parker: via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News
“Every time he thinks it’s back, he feels something,” coach Gregg Popovich said before the completion of the sixth of seven double-doubles in 32 days for the Spurs. “He felt it at the end of the Clipper game. He gave it a run (Thursday). You can’t have him doing that so we’re going to sit him. Give it time and if we err, it’s on the conservative side. It keeps coming back and that’s not good, so we’re just going to sit him out for a while.”
Hamstring injuries truly are tricky, so it’s wise of San Antonio to rest Parker, who is going to be a key component in the Spurs’ quest for a second consecutive NBA championship. San Antonio is currently the 7th seed in the Western Conference, and they are trying to recuperate from a nasty bite by the injury bug.
2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is currently out with a hand injury, and reserve guard Patty Mills has just been cleared to practice after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
San Antonio, who is currently 18-13, will face-off against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Spurs are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
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