San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said that star forward Kawhi Leonard suffered a partial tear in his left shoulder during Friday’s 103-89 win over Phoenix, according to a tweet from San Antonio Express-News reporter Tom Orsborn.
Pop said Leonard suffered a partial tear in his left shoulder Friday night against Phoenix: "It’s too bad. He was starting to get back into form a little bit after playing a couple of games." #Spurs
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) January 8, 2018
Leonard was initially listed out of Sunday night’s game at Portland with a left shoulder strain, but Popovich revealed the injury to be more severe during pregame interviews. Despite that, the Spurs are still hopeful Leonard will return sooner than later.
Even though Kawhi Leonard has a partial terse in his shoulder, the team at this point doesn't think it's serious. Team will continue to monitor it over these next few days. He has not yet been ruled out for Thursday in LA against the Lakers.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) January 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/mikecwright/status/950169127292780544
https://twitter.com/mikecwright/status/950169127292780544
The two-time All-Star had only been back eight games after recovering from a quadriceps injury suffered during last year’s playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. Without him, the Spurs have still managed to put together a 27-13 record, good for third-best in the conference.
