Spurs'' Ginobili faces three weeks out with ankle injury

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Thursday.

Ginobili initially sustained the injury against the Golden State Warriors on February 2. Though he played through it, recent X-rays revealed the ailment.

"New bone has already been laying down - they''ve seen it on the X-rays. So the healing process has already begun," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters.

The Argentinean standout, a three-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, is averaging 16.1 points per game this season.

He missed the first 12 games of the year after off-season surgery on his opposite ankle.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner, editing by N.Ananthanarayanan)