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Duncan sidelined as Spurs take on Mavericks

Dec 5, 2007 - 3:39 PM Dallas (12-6) at San Antonio (15-3) 8:30 pm EST

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - The San Antonio Spurs begin life without Tim Duncan on Wednesday when they host cross-state rivals, the Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs collectively took a huge sigh of relief on Monday when MRI scans of Duncan's knee and ankle came back negative.

The perennial All-Star got tangled up with James Jones during the second quarter of San Antonio's 100-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and fell to the floor grabbing his knee.

Duncan will definitely miss Wednesday's game, but his future is uncertain, Spurs spokesman Tom James told PA SportsTicker in an email on Monday.

"The good news is that it will be short term," James said. "We just don't know yet if it will be a game or two or a week or two."

The Spurs, who have won three-straight, try to avenge a 105-92 loss to the Mavericks in the teams' first matchup this season on November 15.

Josh Howard led Dallas with 23 points in the victory and ranks percentage points behind Dirk Nowitzki for the team lead, averaging 21.0 points per game.