Tony Parker, the Spurs' All-NBA point guard, has seen his offensive production dip this season, from 22.0 points and 6.9 assists per game to 16.5 points and 5.8 assists.
Now we know why.
After scoring 20 second-half points to lead the Spurs to a 105-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at the AT&T Center, Parker revealed he is suffering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Asked why he has had occasional problems this season on drives to the basket, Parker volunteered the news about his injury.
“I'm a little bit slower, that's why,” he said. “I don't think it's much different. It's just my plantar fasciitis is killing me.”
Then, holding up a special sock designed to lessen the effects of the painful injury, Parker said he will play through the injury as long as he can.
“Got my sock, though,” he said. “Gonna wear it on the road.”
The injury is particularly difficult for the three-time All-Star because he naturally jumps off his left foot.
“(It's) the left one, that I plant and everything,” he said.
Parker's injury is the same one that befell Spurs captain Tim Duncan in the 2005-06 season.
“I have to wear my sock, do treatment every day: cold tub, ultrasound, same old, same old,” Parker said. “Just like TD (Duncan) in 2006. He had it the whole season. I asked TD what I have to do. He said the sock is great.”
For now, Parker doesn't anticipate missing any games but said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will make the judgment on when he will play and when he will rest.
“Pop talked about it,” he said. “Right now, I don't want to miss games. I want to play. Maybe down the road, in March or April, maybe I'll miss back-to-backs or something like that. But Pop knows about it. It's up to him.”
Parker, who came into Tuesday averaging 31.5 minutes, logged 34:26 against the Lakers. He finished with 22 points and six assists.
Dynamic defender: Spurs guard George Hill matched up defensively against Kobe Bryant for long stretches of the first three quarters, forcing two Bryant turnovers and doing a credible job pestering the NBA's No. 2 scorer.
When Bryant left late in the third with back spasms, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound second-year pro ended up on 6-7, 260-pound Ron Artest.
“Kobe is Kobe; Artest is strong,” said Hill, an Indianapolis native. “I play against Ron in the summer, when he comes back to Indianapolis and stays.”
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