You snooze, you lose.
Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes’ four-year-long streak of consecutive games played ended after he woke up from a nap with a sore left ankle, causing him to miss Tuesday’s game against the Sixers.
“He woke up from his nap and we found out,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters before Tuesday’s matchup in Philadelphia, per The Athletic. “So he’s with the medical staff now and hope it’s nothing serious.”
Barnes, 33, played in 364 straight games dating back to 2021 before he surprisingly popped up on San Antonio’s injury report.
The forward’s last missed game was due to a sprained right foot on Dec. 4, 2021, when he was a member of the Kings.
Barnes’ ironman streak trailed only Mikal Bridges among active players; the Knicks’ swingman has played in 618 consecutive contests, including New York’s 111-95 victory against the Raptors Tuesday night.
“At some point, he had to [miss a game],” Johnson added. “It speaks to the preparation that he does before he goes into the game. It speaks to the recovery process that he puts in after the game. He’s just a consummate pro. It’s a heckuva run that he had.”
In his most recent outing, Barnes notched three points and two assists in 17 minutes of action Sunday during the Spurs’ 114-89 blowout loss to the Knicks.
A key member of the Warriors during his first four seasons, including Golden State’s championship-winning team in 2015, Barnes has since bounced around to the Mavericks, Kings and Spurs.
San Antonio acquired Barnes in July 2024 as part of a three-team trade that sent veteran All-Star DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento.
In 60 games (49 starts) this season, Barnes is averaging 10.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 44.2 percent from the field.
Even without Barnes, the Spurs rebounded well from Sunday’s defeat at Madison Square Garden, as they steamrolled the Sixers 131-91 in Philadelphia.
With Tuesday’s win, the Spurs improved to 44-17, three games back of the defending champion Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference.
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