Spurs without Manu Ginobili on Saturday due to back spasms

The back spasms that took Manu Ginobili out of Friday night's game have lingered into Saturday.

The San Antonio Spurs have ruled Ginobili out for the team's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He managed just 10 minutes Friday before checking out, leaving additional time for Patty Mills and Cory Joseph, who combined for 26 points and seven assists off the bench.

Ginobili has been relatively healthy this season after entering camp in somewhat rough shape due to a leg injury. This will mark just the sixth game he's missed, all on the second night of back-to-backs as the Spurs look to manage the toll on the 37-year-old's body.

The plan is working, as the Argentine remains productive as a bench scorer. In 32 games, he's averaging 12.5 points and five assists, the former his highest since 2011-12 and the latter a career-high. He's not shooting quite as well as he's accustomed to at 41.8 percent, but he remains a threat from outside and difficult to keep off the free throw line.

It's little surprise, then, that the Spurs are 6.2 points per-100 possessions better when he's on the floor than when he's on the bench. That shouldn't be a huge deal Saturday against the lowly Wolves, and it should allow the emerging Joseph to continue to receive appreciable minutes, even with Tony Parker back in the lineup.