Ginobili undergoes surgery for groin injury, out at least a month
There's trouble in paradise.
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili suffered a testicular injury during Wednesday night's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, and underwent surgery Thursday. The Spurs say Ginobili is out indefinitely, and will be sidelined at least a month.
General manager R.C. Buford told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News that the Spurs "aren't establishing a timeline yet."
The 38-year-old took a hit to the groin from Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson late in the fourth quarter Wednesday, and had to be helped to the locker room. He was later taken to hospital for testing.
Though he's averaging a career-low 19.7 minutes a night, Ginobili has remained a highly effective reserve in his 14th season, averaging 10 points and 3.3 assists with a 56.7 true shooting percentage and a sterling 19.2 PER. The Spurs have outscored opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, the sixth-best individual net rating in the NBA.
Ginobili's 39-year-old teammate Tim Duncan, who ranks fifth in that category, is dealing with a knee injury, which has kept him out of the last five games. Two of those games were losses.
The Spurs had previously lost just six times all season.