The San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the NBA at 60-17 but will be without starting point guard Tony Parker for at least the next two games because of a back injury.
Parker underwent an MRI exam on Monday which revealed a sprained facet joint on the left side of his back. He will miss both games of the Spurs’ upcoming road trip and will be considered day-to-day after that.
On one hand the timing is good for the Spurs who have a 4.5 game cushion over the Oklahoma City Thunder with five games remaining on their schedule. San Antonio’s recent surge has afforded them the opportunity to rest Parker and other players if need be for the last week and a half of the season in hopes of getting them healthy for the playoffs.
However, there is concern. Parker’s scoring and assist numbers have fallen to 16.8 points and 5.8 this season. Both are his lowest totals since the 2010 season. He’s averaging 29.7 minutes per game which is the lowest total since he was a rookie in 2002.
While the Spurs might be the team most equipped to handle a loss of a key player like Parker they are clearly better with him than without him. For now the injury doesn’t appear to be serious and there were many bad things that could have come out of that MRI exam. Still its something to keep an eye on as the Spurs enter the playoffs where they will need an effective Parker if they want to make it back to the NBA Finals.
