Can Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili replace Tony Parker? Does Houston have the edge in the series now? Kevin Pelton breaks down the fallout from Parker's injury.
Parker, 34, had an MRI after suffering the injury during the Spurs' 121-96 victory over theHouston Rockets on Wednesday night.
He rose to his feet but was unable to put any pressure on his left leg, so he was carried off the court by rookie guard Dejounte Murray and centerDewayne Dedmon.
Said coach Gregg Popovich after the game: "It's not good."
Houston will host Game 3 of the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals on Friday night.
Tony Parker's absence in Game 3 on Friday will be the first time he will have missed a playoff game in a career that has spanned 16 seasons -- and 221 postseason games -- with the Spurs. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
After the Spurs were blown out in Game 1, Parker responded with 18 points in 25 minutes before getting injured to help San Antonio rebound to even the series.
His 10.1 points-per-game average in the regular season was his lowest since his rookie year in 2001-02. But he averaged 15.9 points on 53 percent shooting in eight playoff games -- second on the Spurs behindKawhi Leonard (30.3 ppg) -- and had a vintage 27-point night in Game 6 against Memphis to clinch that series.
Notable Absence For Spurs
Tony Parker, who will miss the remainder of the playoffs, had played 221 games without missing a postseason contest in his 16 seasons with the Spurs.
PLAYOFFS
CAREER RANK
Games
5th
Minutes
8th
Points
10th
Assists
5th
FG made
10th
FG attempted
9th
On Wednesday, Parker became the ninth player in NBA postseason history to reach 4,000 career points. He and LeBron James are now the league's only players to have scored 4,000 points and dished 1,000 assists in postseason play.
Parker had not only played 221 career postseason games, which ranks fifth in NBA history, but he had also never missed a playoff game in his 16 seasons with the Spurs.
He missed 16 games during the regular season because of rest and various ailments, such as right knee soreness, a left quadriceps bruise, a left knee bruise, left foot pain and back stiffness.
Next Man Up
Patty Mills will likely replace Tony Parker at point guard for the Spurs. Here's a comparison of the two players this season (including playoffs):
PARKER
MILLS
Minutes
1,798
1,921
+/-
+214
+433
Pts. per 36 mins.
15.3
15.6
>> No. 2 on Spurs behind Kawhi Leonard
Most likely to get the first crack at replacing Parker in the lineup is veteran Patty Mills, who averaged 9.5 points per game and 3.5 assists during the regular season and contributed seven points on Wednesday against the Rockets.
Leonard also said he could "definitely" see himself in a point-forward role with Parker out.
If Mills moves to the starting lineup, it is likely Manu Ginobiliwill serve as the primary backup.
Parker's absence also will lead to more minutes for Murray, as well as Kyle Anderson, a former college point guard, and Jonathon Simmons.
Parker's injury puts the Spurs in a difficult spot this offseason because they have no cap room to go after a guard, especially with Pau Gasolexpected to opt in for $14 million. If the injury is deemed to be career-ending, the Spurs can't even apply for career-ending-injury salary-cap relief until one year from the date of the injury.
ESPN's Michael C. Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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