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Those 36-year-old legs of Manu Ginobilis have been feeling pretty spry this season. That spring in his step that had been missing for so much of last season was back, helping the Argentine magician become a game-changer again for the San Antonio Spurs. So when the lane opened up in the third quarter Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, Ginobili decided to go for it. He rose up, cradled the ball in his left hand and threw down a solid, one-handed dunk. And with that, Ginobili joined the growing list of injured Spurs. The team said Wednesday that Ginobili strained his left hamstring on the dunk and will miss the next three to four weeks. Ginobili joins Danny Green (broken finger), Kawhi Leonard (broken left hand) and Tiago Splitter (sprained right shoulder) on the teams injured list, a run of bad luck that has torn apart the teams depth, particularly on the wing. "You play the guys on the bench," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "We cant play the guys on the other team. I know that." The team is hopeful Splitter, who hasnt played since Jan. 4, will return in time for the teams annual rodeo road trip, a 10-game stint that begins Monday in New Orleans. That would help out Tim Duncan and the big men up front, but the problems on the perimeter remain. After struggling for much of last season, Ginobili signed a two-year contract to remain in San Antonio. He has rebounded this season to resume his role as the Spurs playmaker off the bench, averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 assists and shooting 52 per cent on his 2-point shots. During a monthlong stretch from the middle of December to the middle of January, Ginobili scored at least 20 points five times in a 16-game span to help the Spurs once again establish themselves among the NBAs elite teams. Hes been pretty healthy as well, missing two games earlier in January because of a sore left hamstring before injuring it more severely on Tuesday night. Ginobili, who has long been the emotional centre of this close-knit team, was dejected as he limped off the court. His injury puts even more responsibility on the shoulders of veteran Marco Belinelli, who has been a reliable shooter in a supporting role after coming over in free agency from the Chicago Bulls. Belinelli is averaging 10.9 points and shooting 46.7 per cent from 3-point range for the Spurs. With the injuries to Leonard and Green, Belinelli had become a starter on the wing and seen his playing time steadily increase. Belinelli played 38 minutes in the loss to Houston, and the Spurs recently signed NBDL standout Othyus Jeffers to a 10-day contract to give them another warm body on the perimeter. Thanks in large part to Ginobilis return to form, the Spurs entered Wednesdays game against the Bulls at 33-12, good for second place in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. But theyve lost three of their last four games, are 1-11 against the top seven teams in the league and now face the daunting challenge of that long road trip without Ginobili, and with Portland (33-13) and the Clippers (32-15) right on their heels. Chicago is facing its own injuries woes. All-Star point guard Derrick Rose was lost for the season with a knee injury for the second consecutive year and starting centre Joakim Noah (illness) and guard Kirk Hinrich (right hamstring) are game-time decisions for tonights game against San Antonio. So, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he has little empathy for the Spurs, not because Chicago is also battling injuries, but because of how deep San Antonio is. "Its the nature of the league. Its the grind of an 82-game season. Youre going to take injuries on. Its how you respond and the Spurs have always done a good job with that. Its the way the Spurs are built." Air Force 1 China . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. Air Force 1 Discount . 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/. - This win was more the New Jersey Devils style. Air Force 1 For Sale .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Air Force 1 Outlet . -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew practiced in a limited capacity Friday, a positive sign he might be able to play against the Tennessee Titans. BARCELONA, Spain -- Giovani Dos Santos scored the equalizer and set up the late winner in a four-minute span to lead Villarreals 3-2 comeback victory at Almeria on Monday, ensuring the clubs successful return to Spains first division. Promoted Almeria outplayed Villarreal in front of its fans at Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium in the first half, with striker Rodrigo Rios scoring in the 39th minute from a pass from Rafael Ramos. Villarreal levelled in the 65th through Sebastian Dubarbiers own goal, but Rios restored the hosts lead when he controlled Jesus "Suso" Fernandezs cross and fired home to record a double in the 74th. Almeria appeared set to collect the three points until the 83rd, when Javier Aquino passed for fellow Mexico international Dos Santos to tap in and make it 2-2. Dos Santos created the winner three minutes later by dribbling down the right side, cutting back, and passing between two defenders for Jonathan Pereira to send the ball bouncing into the corner of the net. Elsewhere, in the last games of the opening round, Alberto Bueno scored two goals as Rayo Vallecano spoiled Elches first game in Spains topflight in 24 years, and Espanyol came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo. Rayo acquired Bueno from Valladolid earlier this month, and the attacking midfielder did his best to help the Madrid-based team forget the several first-choice players it sold this off-season to reduce debt. Bueno shone early with his passing at Vallecas Stadium and scored when Saul Niguez found him running clear down the centre of the area to fire the ball into the net in the 40th. Alberto Perea went on for the injured Jose Carlos Fernandez and doubled the lead with a long-range strike in the 44th, before Bueno also struck from outside the area in the 74th. Rayo coach Paco Jemez applauded the contributions especially of his new players, including Saul, who aarrived on loan from Atletico Madrid in the off-season.dddddddddddd "The dynamic of the way we work at Rayo makes it so all the new people adapt quickly to the mechanisms of our team," Jemez said. "We need another signing. We are not lacking quality, but we are short on quantity." Espanyol rallied after Denmark midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli assisted on two goals to give Celta a commanding advantage. Krohn-Dehli brightened an infringement-filled first half in the 42nd by using an audacious flip to scoop the ball over a defender and leave Alex Lopez alone to beat goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. Celta went up 2-0 seconds after halftime when Krohn-Dehli picked out unmarked striker Charles in the area to head his lobbed pass down into the corner of the net. But Espanyol midfielder Victor Sanchez halved the difference in the 53rd with a curled strike from long range, and Javi Lopez met substitute Thievy Bifoumas run with a long pass for the forward to size up the keeper and drive in the 75th-minute equalizer. "The result is fair," said Celtas new coach Luis Enrique, formerly of Roma. "Our opponent also did things to get this result. Their first goal arrived when we were playing our best." Casilla still had to make an acrobatic save to tip Gustavo Cabrals header over the bar to protect the point for Javier Aguirres side. "I fully trust in Kiko," said Aguirre about his goalie. "It was an extraordinary save. I think he can keep growing and carve his name in Spanish football." On Sunday, Barcelona thrashed Levante 7-0 with Lionel Messi scoring twice in the debut of Brazil striker Neymar. Real Madrid edged out Real Betis 2-1, Atletico Madrid beat Sevilla 3-1, and Granada won 2-1 at Osasuna. On Saturday, Real Sociedad beat Getafe 2-0, Athletic Bilbao downed Valladolid 2-1, and Valencia won 1-0 over Malaga. ' ' '