Spurs lose Manu Ginobili to ankle injury

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A right-ankle stress reaction will sideline San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili for nearly three weeks, the team said Thursday.

The severity of Ginobili's injury was determined by a series of tests including X-rays, an MRI and CAT scan shortly before last week's all-star break but the decision for him to sit out an extended period was not made until before Thursday's contest at Detroit.

"New bone has already been laying down," Coach Greg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "(Doctors have) seen it on the X-rays, so the healing process has already begun."

The 31-year-old Ginobili, a seven-year NBA veteran, has been plagued by a variety of injuries throughout his NBA career that have caused the Bahia Blanca, Argentina, native to miss at least five contests every season.

In 38 games this season, he is the Spurs' third-leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points, mostly as a sixth man, or the first player off their bench, most nights.