San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker will be out for the rest of the playoffs after suffering a ruptured left quadriceps tendon. He suffered the injury with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter of the Spurs' 121-96 win. "No excuses, we're just going to go complete and play our best game in Houston", he said. He rose to his feet but was unable to put any pressure on his left leg to walk, so he was carried off the court by rookie guard Dejounte Murray and center Dewayne Dedmon.
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili said on Wednesday night that Parker was in significant pain. "It's hard to see him limping and hurting now, and you kind of know we're not going to see him anytime soon".
It's never a good idea to count out the Spurs, but losing Parker, even though he's only a shell of the player he used to be, will be a tough blow.
San Antonio officials have said 16-year veteran Parker will undergo an MRI, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted after the game that "it's not good".
Parker, 34, is a four-time National Basketball Association champion and his absence even had an effect on the Rockets.
Antonio Conte allowing himself to relax a little
Conte has got the best out of Hazard in the 3-4-3 formation and the Belgium captain is unlucky to not find himself in the number one spot.
After getting embarrassed in Game 1 at home, the San Antonio Spurs have responded in a big way with consecutive wins over the Houston Rockets.
Parker's replacement Patty Mills has actually been more efficient this season.
Game 2 saw the Spurs get a little offensive help for Leonard and the Rockets struggle shooting. He'll miss the reason of the postseason, giving the Houston Rockets an advantage at the point guard position. "We got to figure out a way to not let him beat us, which is easier said than done". The injury came as the Spurs are locked in a second-round battle with Houston, a series tied 1-1 with Game 3 on the road coming up Friday. Trevor Ariza, who led all scorers with 23 points and hit 5 of 10 three-pointers in the series opener, had just two points in Game 2.
After their 3-point barrage on Monday, the Rockets shot just 11-for-34 from the 3-point line on Wednesday.
When Game 3 tips off Friday night, it will mark the first time Ginobili, 39, has participated in a playoff game without Parker, 34. "So I'm always going to try to be aggressive out there and try to make things happen". Murray has shown some flashes of being a solid pro - most notably a 24-point effort against the Denver Nuggets in January - but he clocked a lot of DNP-CD's this season, and he's likely not be ready for a significant role in a heated playoff series. Spurs owner Julianna Hawn Holt rose from her courtside seat to point and scream at an official after Parker exited the game.
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