Reserve center Joffrey Lauvergne missed his fifth consecutive game with a right ankle sprain suffered in an Oct. 21 win over Toronto.

Popovich said he was surprised at the severity of Lauvergne's injury.

"It was worse than we thought, I guess," Popovich said. "I thought he would be out for three or four days but I guess it was a higher sprain than what I thought initially."

Popovich said it could be "four, five or six days" before Lauvergne returns to the floor.

In the meantime, Lauvergne's absence has forced Popovich to play smaller on his second unit than he normally would. At 6-foot-11, Lauvergne is the lone traditional big off the Spurs' bench.

"I think he has been doing a good job for us," Popovich said. "He's a valuable big man off the bench. He's very mobile and can do some things, so we miss him."

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN