After getting destroyed 126-99 by the Houston Rockets in Game 1, the San Antonio Spurs rebounded with a 121-96 victory in Game 2. Kawhi Leonard was brilliant — as usual — with 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and three steals to lead the way for San Antonio.
https://youtu.be/GMPWcWMTtGQ?t=29s
However, it’s hard for the Spurs to feel too great about the win due to an injury suffered by Tony Parker.
With just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the veteran point went up for a floater in the lane, and landed awkwardly. He fell to the ground holding his left knee, and had to be carried off the floor by his teammates.
This is not a good sight for the Spurs and their fans:
The Spurs announced that Parker will undergo an MRI on Thursday:
Tony Parker suffered a left leg injury and will not return to tonight's game. He will undergo an MRI exam tomorrow.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 4, 2017
And San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich said that the injury is “not good”:
Pop on Tony Parker's knee injury: "It's not good."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 4, 2017
Pop said he doesn't know about Parker, but he mentioned "we don't know who's gonna play instead." That's not good.
— Matthew Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) May 4, 2017
So, all signs point to this at least being a knee injury that threatens Parker’s availability for the remainder of the series, and perhaps much longer than that.
Parker was the Spurs’ second-leading scorer on the night with 18 points in 26 minutes. The 34-year-old isn’t the star he used to be, but he’s still the team’s floor general and one with a ton of playoff experience.
Tony Parker Postseason Career
NBA Rank
Games 221 5th
Assists 1,137 5th
Points 4,012 9th— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 4, 2017
Patty Mills is a capable backup and scorer that should be able to fill in decently for Parker, and Manu Ginobili figures to to run the offense a lot as well. But this Spurs team was already looking fairly vulnerable, and would have a very difficult time beating the Rockets without Parker. Then again, Gregg Popovich is a wizard, so never count the Spurs out.
[TNT]
