Advertisement

Report: Spurs' David Lee suffered partially torn patella tendon in Game 3

dan devine
Senior writer
Spurs big man David Lee left Game 3 in a wheelchair. (Screencap via @cjzero)
Spurs big man David Lee left Game 3 in a wheelchair. (Screencap via @cjzero)

The San Antonio Spurs saw another rotation play go down early in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, as reserve big man David Lee had to be helped off the court following a layup with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.

[Follow Ball Don’t Lie on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]

Lee sustained the injury after taking a lob pass and finishing a reverse layup through a foul by former teammate Draymond Green. After landing awkwardly, Lee immediately grabbed for his left leg in pain and headed straight back to the locker room, aided by a wheelchair:

Lee was unable to return to shoot the free throw he earned after being fouled on the play. Under league rules, that meant he was no longer eligible to return to Game 3. He finished with four points in just two minutes, 19 seconds of work.

Because Lee was unable to return, the Warriors were allowed to pick any Spur they wanted off the bench to shoot Lee’s free throw. They chose little-used veteran center Joel Anthony. He missed.

After the game, ESPN reported that early indications suggest Lee’s injury could be as severe as it seemed when we watched him taken off on that wheelchair:

Lee joins Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker among notable Spurs on the injured list. San Antonio started reserve forwards Jonathon Simmons and Kyle Anderson against the Warriors in Game 3, as head coach Gregg Popovich looked to find a lineup capable of getting his team back on the right track after consecutive losses to Golden State to start the conference finals.

The Spurs started strong, but eventually fell to the healthier and more star-studded Warriors, 120-108. Golden State now holds a commanding 3-0 lead, and can close out the Spurs to advance to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 4 on Monday night.

More NBA coverage:

– – – – – – –

Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!