SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge sat out his second consecutive game Monday night when San Antonio hosted the Phoenix Suns.
Aldridge suffered a sprained left ankle Friday during a 104-90 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and the club held him out of Saturday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The team started veteran David West in Aldridge's place on Monday.
"He's out," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before San Antonio's 98-84 win over Phoenix.
The coach was uncertain on a timeline for Aldridge's return, but the power forward said Friday he wanted to heal fully before taking the court again with the Spurs.
"I just want to make sure that if I'm out there, I want to be good on both ends of the floor, not just on one end," he said.
Aldridge averaged a career-high 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds last season as a Portland Trail Blazer, where he spent the first nine years of his career, before signing in July with the Spurs as a free agent. Aldridge has averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the past five seasons, but is currently averaging 14.8 in his first season with the Spurs.
Popovich expressed confidence in West's ability to fill in for Aldridge with little to no drop-off in production.
"I think it's very fortunate to have somebody who is so experienced, such a consummate professional to be able to put on the court is really a luxury for sure," Popovich said.