SAN ANTONIO (AP) Tim Duncan will miss at least one game for the San Antonio Spurs after injuring his left thigh during Thursday night's loss at Dallas.

A medical exam on Friday determined that Duncan has an irritation of the patellofemoral joint, the area where the thigh bone meets the kneecap, the team said in a brief written statement. He will not play Saturday night at home against Denver, and his condition will be re-evaluated next week.

``Obviously it's good news,'' Spurs spokesman Tom James said of the diagnosis. ``It's short-term, rather than long-term.''

Duncan hobbled to the bench midway through the third quarter of the Spurs' 115-91 loss to the Mavericks on Thursday night. At the time, San Antonio trailed by nine points before going on to its most lopsided loss of the season.

In 25 minutes, Duncan had 22 points and 17 rebounds. After the game his only comment was, ``I don't know what happened.''

The NBA's two-time MVP did not practice Friday and he did not speak to reporters.

Injuries to the patellofemural joint are common among athletes, and are frequently due to chronic wear and tear.

Teammate Malik Rose said he and other Spurs are prepared to step up if Duncan has to sit out a number of games to recuperate.

``Tim's one of the toughest guys in the league,'' said Rose, who got some of Duncan's minutes Thursday and finished with 12 points. ``He won't miss much time, but in the meantime we have to be a collective Band-Aid for him.''

Saturday's game against Denver is the start of a four-game homestand that ends with a rematch against Dallas on March 5.

The Spurs also released guard Ron Mercer on Friday and activated point guard Jason Hart from the injured list.

Mercer, a proven scorer, was acquired from Indiana in a three-team trade in the offseason, but was used sparingly. Popovich said the release would allow him to catch on with another team before March 1, the deadline for eligibility for the playoffs.

Mercer averaged 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 39 games for the Spurs.