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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out with an undisclosed illness


Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out with an undisclosed illness

Now in his 29th season with the Spurs, Gregg Popovich is the NBA's best player with 1,390 wins.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP) – San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out indefinitely while recovering from an illness.

San Antonio announced that Popovich did not travel with the team on its current road trip to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and Houston on Wednesday. The Spurs host the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Mitch Johnson will serve as interim coach during Popovich's absence.

Johnson was informed about 2 1/2 hours before the tip-off on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves that Popovich, 75, was unavailable due to an undisclosed illness.

“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said. “This has happened before. I think everyone always needs to be prepared for the next guy. We deal with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don't feel well or things happen in life. He’s just not feeling well.”

It was the third time Johnson served as head coach in Popovich's absence. Former assistant coaches Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon also served as Spurs head coaches for the past five seasons due to Popovich's illness or medical procedure.

Without Popovich, the Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 113-103 behind 25 points from Keldon Johnson and excellent play from Chris Paul (15 points and 13 assists).

Popovich is the NBA's career leader with 1,390 wins and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles. He is in his 29th season, all with San Antonio.

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