[COLOR=#red]Ginobili out 10-14 days with hamstring strain[/COLOR]
San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili holds his left thigh during a play in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the AT&T Center, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013.
San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili holds his left thigh during a play in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the AT&T Center, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013.
Reserve guard Manu Ginobili said via Twitter he will sit for 10-14 days after suffering a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in the first half of Sunday’s victory over Minnesota.
Manu Ginobili
@manuginobili
Just finished with the MRI. Grade 1 strained left hamstring. 10/14 days out. Will be back shortly. Thanks 4 ur support!!
14 Jan 13
The Spurs issued a release later on Monday confirming the injury and timeline.
It will be the fourth time Ginobili, 35, has missed game action due to injury in his 11th NBA season. In addition to skipping several preseason outings with a sore foot, he sat out the first two games of the regular season with back spasms and a 107-93 loss at Oklahoma City on Dec. 17 with a thigh contusion.
The Spurs won the other two games, and an additional contest against Boston in which he played just four minutes after injuring his thigh. Ginobili missed another outing, a loss at Miami, after being sent home to rest. The Spurs are 89-52 without him over the years.
Ginobili could miss as many as seven games should he sit out the full 14 days: Memphis (Wednesday); Golden State (Friday); at Atlanta (Saturday); at Philadelphia (Jan. 21); New Orleans (Jan. 23); at Dallas (Jan. 25); and Phoenix (Jan. 26). Memphis, Golden State and Atlanta are the only teams that currently have a winning record.
He had been playing well recently, averaging 15.8 points on 49.6-percent shooting over the past 11 outings. He sparked the Spurs’ rally from an early nine-point deficit against the Timberwolves with 12 points before straining his hamstring just before halftime.
Ginobili is averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists overall with a 20.6 Player Efficiency Rating and the NBA’s fifth-best regularized adjusted plus/minus rate (plus 5.5 points per 100 possessions).
Blessed with the league’s highest-scoring bench at 42 points per game, the Spurs have an abundance of options to cover Ginobili’s 24.4 minutes per game. Gary Neal (10.6 points per game, 38 percent on 3-pointers), Stephen Jackson (7.2 ppg, 30.4% 3s) and Patty Mills (5.0 ppg, 41% 3s) will likely be the top candidates.
The Spurs also recalled Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League on Monday. The second-year guard is averaging 20.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 14 appearances with the Spurs’ affiliate.
“We’ve had injuries in the past, so our mindset is going to be the same,” starting shooting guard Danny Green said. “Our bench guys have to bring energy. We can’t have any letdowns. Just continue to play good basketball and have faith in our guys they’ll be able to pick up the slack for Manu. He’s been playing really well for us. It just sucks he got hurt at this point in the season. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was not available for comment.