On the shelf since Feb. 11 because of a stress reaction in his right distal fibula, Manu Ginobili played 14 minutes and two seconds. He made only 1 of 7 shots in San Antonio's win over Atlanta.

?I was definitely rusty and slow,? Ginobili said, ?but no (ankle) problems. Besides, I wasn't expecting to have a great game, either.?

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave Ginobili's return a positive review.

?It's a good start, just to get him a couple of minutes,? Popovich said. ?He can start to get his timing back. Obviously, he needs time to get back into the flow. It's important to us, because by playoff time he's got to be whole for us to win.?