Kawhi Leonard OUT with ankle injury for Game 6 vs. Rockets

Kawhi Leonard will not play in Game 6 of the San Antonio Spurs’ second-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, the team announced. He will sit as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Leonard rolled his ankle at the 5:42 mark of the fourth quarter when he stepped on James Harden’s foot while planting to run up-court. He tried to play through it, but sat the latter stretch of the final period, as well as overtime. The Spurs went on to win, 109-106.

Leonard’s absence will be devastating for a Spurs team so heavily reliant on its All-Star’s production. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting better than 52 percent from the field, 47 percent from three and 92 percent from the foul line.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has started either Kyle Anderson or Davis Bertans in games Leonard sat during the regular season.