After being dominated in Game 1 by the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs recovered with a monstrous performance in Game 2 en route to a blowout 121-96 victory. The Spurs even the series at one apiece, but they lost a major component to what looks like a severe leg injury.

Tony Parker goes down and is carried off the court

Tony Parker fell to the floor without contact around the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter. He laid on the ground for quite some time, even forcing Gregg Popovich to take a timeout. During the timeout, teammates Dejounte Murray and Dewayne Dedmon had to carry him off the court and into the locker room.

Parker did not return to the game, and the Spurs are currently calling it a left leg injury, with no specifications. He will undergo MRI tomorrow morning, which should reveal the severity of the injury.

After Parker’s injury, the Spurs went on a 21-5 run to put the Rockets away behind Kawhi Leonard’s 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and three steals on an efficient 13-of-16 shooting.

Will Tony Parker’s absence hurt the Spurs?

If Parker is going to be out for a long period of time, will his absence hurt San Antonio in this series? After struggling in Game 1, Parker delivered in Game 2 with 18 points and four assists on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in 26 minutes.

He has been playing at a higher level during the playoffs and could be a major loss.

In his absence, Patty Mills is expected to become the starting point guard, and he is fully capable of playing heavy minutes. However, rookie point guard Murray will also be asked to play a crucial role off the bench. He was able to handle a significant role during the season when the Spurs endured injuries, but the playoffs are a different story.

Leonard will have to playmake and ball handle a lot more as well, and veterans like Manu Ginobili and Pau Gasol will need to contribute more.

The Spurs are fully capable of winning games despite not having key players due to their suffocating defense and beautiful offensive system. Obviously, it becomes a little tougher to play without Parker, but San Antonio should still be able to overcome the Rockets.

Looking at the video, Parker’s injury seems to be serious. He was holding his knee and had to be carried off the court, which are two negative signifiers. Non-contact injuries are the worse, so hopefully for the Spurs, Parker’s injury is minor.

Nonetheless, whether it’s a minor injury or not, Gregg Popovich will probably sit him out for an extended period to allow him to fully recover.
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