Spurs’ Tony Parker to miss about a month with sprained ankle

Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs’ aging but dominant point guard, will be out of the lineup about four weeks as his left ankle heals from a sprain.

Parker rolled the ankle Friday night during the third quarter in a 130-102 rout of the Sacramento Kings.

The Spurs, who have the best record in the NBA at 46-14, announced Saturday that an MRI exam showed that Parker had a Grade 2 sprain and that the French national star would miss “approximately four weeks.”

Parker, a two-time NBA Finals most valuable player who is averaging 21 points and 7.6 assists, is among a few select challengers to Heat forward LeBron James in the MVP conversation this season. He’s been the stalwart for San Antonio, which has played much of the season with power forward Tim Duncan and guard Manu Ginobili nursing injuries.

Parker was coming off his best month of the season when he averaged 26.1 points on 54% shooting and 8.3 assists.

Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, never one to mince words or overstate his case, recently said that Parker was among the best players in the NBA.

“He’s having an All-Star season,” Popovich said Friday night. “As I’ve said, he’s playing better than any other point guard in the league consistently through the year. We will miss him.”

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